DEFENCE

European Security and Defence Policy

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he last discussed progress on the European Security and Defence Policy with the German defence minister.

Geoff Hoon: I last discussed progress on European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) with my German counterpart on 5 November 2002 in Berlin.
	ESDP was also discussed extensively at the last General Affairs and External Relations Council meeting on 18 and 19 November 2002 at which Defence Ministers from all member states were present.

Export Licence (Sudan)

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether Alenia Marconi System used the F680 procedure to receive preliminary Government advice on the likely prospects for approval on their export licence application to export an air traffic control system to Sudan; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Details of F680 applications from companies are normally commercially confidential and exempt from disclosure under Exemptions 13 and 14 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. Any F680 application received in respect of Sudan would be rigorously assessed on a case by case basis against the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria and the EU arms embargo.

Honours and Decorations

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he received the recommendations of the Sub-Committee of the Honours and Decorations Committee, on the issue of a medal for UK servicemen who were in Egypt between 1951 and 1954; whether he will accept the recommendations of this sub-committee; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: I have not received the recommendations of the sub-committee. They passed their recommendations directly to the HD Committee for its consideration. The Ministry of Defence awaits the publication of the result of their deliberations and will accept their decision.

Procurement

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the MOD expects to award the contract for the Future Infantry Soldier Technology Programme; what capabilities the new equipment will have; when the technology will come into full service; what the length of the contract is; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: An announcement on the Prime Contractor for the Assessment Phase (AP) of the Future Integrated Soldier Technology (FIST) programme will be made shortly. Contract award will take place soon thereafter. The contract will last for a little under three years, and will be followed by a Demonstration and Manufacture Phase which will be the subject of separate contractual arrangements. The FIST programme will bring the benefits of technology improvements to the infantry soldier by providing an integrated suite of equipment which will enhance mission effectiveness in dismounted close combat. This will be defined more closely during the AP. An In-Service Date will not be set until the main investment decision, but current estimates are around the end of this decade.

Separated Service Allowance

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in what circumstances unmarried service personnel deployed to the Gulf receive longer separated service allowance.

Lewis Moonie: Longer separated service allowance (LSSA) compensates for longer separated service regardless of marital status. From 1 March 2003, following changes recommended by the Armed Forces Pay Review Body (AFPRB), it is paid to all eligible personnel who have completed 12 months' initial qualifying service. LSSA is paid on a daily basis for separation of 10 days or more, at three rates (basic, middle and higher) dependent upon periods of accumulated separation. Bonuses are available for those who experience very high levels of accumulated separation.
	Regularly reviewed by the AFPRB, their 2003 report reduced the initial qualifying period from 18 months' service to 12 to target the allowance at junior personnel to ensure that they do not commence a second operational tour without compensation for separation.

Separated Service Allowance

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which categories of service personnel are eligible for longer separated service allowance; and under what circumstances it is awarded.

Lewis Moonie: Regardless of marital status, all regular service personnel can receive longer separated service allowance (LSSA) provided that they meet the qualifying criteria. Reservists who have been called out on permanent service or who undertake full-time reserve service are eligible for the allowance; members of non-regular permanent staff of the TA and reservists who are undertaking part-time reserve service can also qualify for LSSA.
	LSSA compensates personnel for the effects of longer separated service regardless of marital category or rank. Following recommendations by the Armed Forces Pay Review Body (AFPRB), the initial qualifying period was reduced from 18 months' service to 12 months from 1 March 2003. The allowance is paid at three daily rates to eligible personnel who spend 10 days or more on temporary duty away from their permanent duty station. The basic rate is paid once 12 months' service has been completed. After 300 accrued days of separation at the basic rate, the middle rate applies and after a further 300 accrued days of separation at the middle rate, the higher rate applies. Bonuses are available for those who experience very high levels of accumulated separation.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Council Tax Benefit

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the (a) number and (b) percentage of (i) single males, (ii) single females and (iii) couples (A) over 60 and (B) over 75 who will be eligible for (1) any amount of council tax benefit and (2) full council tax benefit (x) at present, (y) in April 2003 and (z) in October 2003.

Malcolm Wicks: The available information is in the table.
	
		Estimated numbers of pensioners eligible for Council Tax Benefit (CTB) in 2002–03
		
			  All pensioners  Pensioners aged over 75 
			  Any CTB Full CTB only Any CTB Full CTB only 
		
		
			 2002–03 
			 Single males 630,000 310,000 270,000 120,000 
			 Single females 1,960,000 1,170,000 1,080,000 710,000 
			 Couples 1 ,300,000 510,000 430,000 170,000 
			 Total 3,890,000 1,990,000 1,780,000 1,000,000 
			 2003–04 
			 Single males 700,000 320,000 310,000 120,000 
			 Single females 2,080,000 1,210,000 1,140,000 730,000 
			 Couples 1,470,000 540,000 480,000 180,000 
			 Total 4,240,000 2,060,000 1,930,000 1,030,000 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The Policy Simulation Model is only available for each financial year and estimates can be interpreted as relating to the mid-year point. It is therefore, not possible to provide estimates for the points in time requested. Estimates for 2003–04 include the effects of the Pension Credit.
	2. Pensioners are defined to be households where the benefit recipient or their partner is aged 60 or over. The over 75 group includes cases where either the benefit recipient or their partner is 75 or over.
	3. The estimates are rounded to the nearest 10,000 and totals may not sum due to rounding.
	4. Although it is possible to infer estimates of take-up by comparing these figures with forecast caseloads, it should be noted that these figures may not be consistent with those published in the take-up statistics, which are estimated on a different basis.
	Source
	Estimates have been produced using the DWP Policy Simulation Model, which is based on the 2000–01 Family Resources Survey with prices and benefits uprated to the year in question.

File Stores

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost was of operating his Department's filestores in each year since 1997.

Ian McCartney: The information requested is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following table. Because the availability of data is not uniform across the period, the figures are non-comparable.
	
		£
		
			 Year Operating costs 
		
		
			 1997–98 21,078,728 
			 1998–99 21,142,259 
			 1999–2000 21,783,791 
			 2000–01 27,714,146 
			 2001–02 28,470,915 
		
	
	Notes
	1. Operating costs shown include staff salaries and estates costs but not running costs such as those for utilities.
	2. Where filestores are operated by external contractors then contract costs have been used.
	3. Most smaller DWP filestores are managed within DWP core business and separate operating costs for these stores are therefore not available prior to the current review of records storage and retrieval.
	4. 1997–98 figures include staff data from 13 stores and estates data from 60 stores.
	5. 1998–99 figures include staff data from 14 stores and estates data from 60 stores.
	6. 1999–2000 figures include staff data from 20 stores and estates data from 60 stores.
	7. 2000–01 figures include staff data from 44 stores and estates data from 60 stores.
	8. 2001–02 figures include data from 62 stores.

Housing Benefit (Rent Restrictions)

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of total housing benefit expenditure on private accommodation used for housing families in temporary accommodation in 2001–02.

Malcolm Wicks: The March 2002 report, "More than a roof" and the Government's response to it set out a challenging new approach to tackling homelessness. Specific measures include changes to Housing Benefit (HB) rules worth around £10 million to boost incentives for private sector leasing by local authorities.
	HB expenditure for temporary accommodation is recorded where the accommodation is arranged by or through the Council. However, expenditure is not identified separately where a homeless person finds his/her board and lodging accommodation or where the council has no licensed or short-term lease accommodation available. Therefore it is not possible to reliably estimate total HB expenditure on private accommodation used for housing families in temporary accommodation in 2001–02.

Local Housing Allowance

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the Government's plans are to introduce a standard local housing allowance to replace housing benefit; when the plan's changes will be introduced throughout the UK; and in which areas the reforms are being piloted.

Malcolm Wicks: The Standard Local Housing Allowances (SLHA) will provide a better, quicker service based on simpler, clearer rules. It will allow people to know in advance what housing benefit support they will receive, promote choice and personal responsibility, and bridge the gap between benefit and work by allowing tenants to budget for their own rent. Details of our proposals are in the prospectus,"Building Choice and Responsibility: a radical agenda for Housing Benefit", a copy of which is in the Library.
	We will be piloting the SLHA in 10 pathfinder local authorities (Blackpool, Brighton and Hove, Conwy, Coventry, Edinburgh, Leeds, Lewisham, Middlesbrough, North East Lincolnshire and Teignbridge). All 10 local authorities have accepted our invitation to participate in the pilot, based on our commitment to meet all reasonable costs. The scheme will be based on local reference rents and these local authorities were selected to reflect a wide range of housing market conditions, including areas with high value rented properties.
	Extension of SLHA throughout the rest of the country will depend on the results of our evaluation of the pilot scheme.

Pensioners

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to provide an alternative method to people to drawing their pension in person, when they suffer from sudden illness, from April.

Malcolm Wicks: If someone cannot get out to collect their state pension which is paid into an account then they can give authority for someone they trust to do this. The precise arrangements will depend on the type of account they have. If the customer could not make alternative arrangements to draw their state pension, the Department currently has arrangements in place to ensure vulnerable customers do not suffer hardship.

Pensions (Casual Agents)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people draw their pensions through post offices using casual agents.

Malcolm Wicks: Information on the number of people who draw their pensions through post offices using casual agents is not available.
	There is a facility available for all benefit and pension recipients to allow an individual to complete the reverse of a giro cheque or payment foil from their order book, which gives authorisation to someone to act as their agent on a one-off or temporary basis, without notifying the Department.

Post Office Card Accounts

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he will take to advertise the benefit of the post office card accounts to those recipients of (a) war pensions and (b) child benefit who have already been contacted about changes in the method of benefits payments, prior to the start-up of the Post Office card account.

Malcolm Wicks: Those people who have already been contacted about the move to direct payment received a mailing with information which clearly set out the account options. The information material set out the key features of the various accounts and explained how people can access their money at the Post Office, if they wish to do so and what to do if they wanted a Post Office card account. War pension and child benefit customers who have already opted for a Post Office card account after receiving the mailing will be contacted after April when the account becomes available.

University Students (Work Placements)

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many university students his Department and associated agencies have supported or sponsored with a work placement in the last year; what his policy is on work placements; what plans he has to develop such schemes; and what his policy is on paying their university fees.

Ian McCartney: The Department for Work and Pensions supports certain students with work placements via a combination of local and centrally-run arrangements. Figures for the former are not available centrally. For the latter, the Department supported 14 students on work placements in 2002, with the aim of attracting high-calibre undergraduates who are interested in a career in the Civil Service. The Department plans to continue to offer paid work placements to undergraduates during their breaks. Payment of university fees is not therefore an issue.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Abandoned Vehicles

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many abandoned vehicles there were in the UK in each year since 1992; and how many are projected for the next five years (a) in total and (b) in each region.

Michael Meacher: Information on the number of abandoned vehicles in England and Wales is as follows:
	Wales
	In 2000–01 local authorities notified the National Assembly that there were 7,700 abandoned vehicles in Wales. This was the first year that this question was included in the National Assembly's Local Authority Municipal Waste Survey. No figures are available for earlier years.
	England
	Information on the numbers of abandoned vehicles was requested for the first time from local authorities as part of the Municipal Waste Management Survey 2000–01. Regional results from the survey, which include estimates for those local authorities that did not respond to the survey, are listed in the table. Results from the 2001–02 survey are currently being collected and initial estimates should be available in April.
	
		
			 Government region Abandoned vehicles (thousands) 
		
		
			 North East 2.5 
			 North West 9.2 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 7.7 
			 East Midlands 11.9 
			 West Midlands 20.7 
			 East of England 28.9 
			 London 83.6 
			 South East 44.7 
			 South West 17.2 
			 Estimated England Total 226.4 
		
	
	It is not possible to provide projected figures for England or Wales as there is only one year's data to work with. Although costs of disposal will increase as a result of the depollution and dismantling requirements of the end-of-life vehicles directive, the impact on the number of abandoned vehicles is difficult to predict—much will depend upon future values of scrap metal and the effectiveness of the various initiatives which are being taken to tackle the abandoned vehicle problem.
	The information requested is not held centrally in either Scotland or Northern Ireland.

Abandoned Vehicles

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) abandoned and (b) end of life vehicles are disposed of in a sustainable manner;
	(2)  what the cost to local authorities of (a) disposing of and (b) administering schemes to dispose of abandoned vehicles was in each of the last 10 financial years.
	(3)  what plans she has to ensure that abandoned vehicles are appropriately dismantled and recycled.
	(4)  what steps she is taking to co-ordinate the collection and disposal of abandoned vehicles.
	(5)  what the average cost is of disposing of abandoned vehicles, including the costs of administration.

Michael Meacher: Waste collection authorities are required under section 3(1) of the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978 to remove a vehicle which is abandoned in their area on any land in the open air or on any other land forming part of a highway. Section 4 of the 1978 Act enables waste disposal authorities to dispose of vehicles in their custody which have been removed because they were abandoned. Such vehicles are normally disposed of through either dismantlers or scrap yards.
	The dismantling and recycling of End of Life Vehicles (ELVs) must be carried out in compliance with the conditions of a waste management licence or under a registered exemption from licensing and in a manner which does not pollute the environment and harm human health.
	The End-of-Life Vehicles Directive requires that all ELVs, including those abandoned vehicles which are ELVs, are depolluted and dismantled to specified environmental standards by appropriately-permitted facilities. The permits will replace registered exemptions (unless a site is only carrying out recovery operations on de-polluted vehicles). Draft regulations to transpose this aspect of the Directive will be published shortly for consultation with a view to their coming into effect later this year. The Directive also requires that 85 per cent. by weight of ELVs are recovered and recycled by 1 January 2006, and 95 per cent. by 1 January 2015. The Government is currently considering its preferred approach to achieving these targets.
	We estimate that disposal costs for abandoned vehicles under the 1978 Act arrangements are between £30 and £50 per vehicle. Under the ELV Directive additional costs for the takeback and treatment of ELVs are estimated to be £50 depending on the age, condition and type of the vehicle and the price of scrap metal at the time. The increase is largely due to the costs of depolluting the ELVs to the standard required by the Directive.
	Information on the cost to local authorities of disposing of and administering schemes to dispose of abandoned vehicles is not held centrally.

Illegal Bush Meat

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action her Department is taking to tackle the illegal importation of bush meat

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	Bush meat is generally taken to refer to meat from wild animals hunted for food. Controls on its import arise from both the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and from controls imposed to protect animal health.
	Customs are responsible for the enforcement of CITES restrictions and they take action to target, intercept, seize and where appropriate prosecute offenders.
	In controls to protect animal health Customs' role is to support the lead enforcement authorities, port health authorities and Defra. In 2002, Customs deployed additional resources in this role. A Cabinet Office study has recommended that the anti-smuggling role is transferred to Customs is actively working with Defra to implement this change as soon as practicable.

Domestic Waste

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what investigations she has carried out into the amount of household domestic waste which has been separated for recycling by the householder but has ended up in landfill (a) by Project Integra and (b) in England.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 28 February 2003
	We do not collect this information. Under the best value performance indicators the information collected is household waste sent for recycling; this would not distinguish any amount subsequently sent to landfill because it was not recycled.

Environment Agency (Fines)

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment has been made or is planned of the effectiveness of fines levied by the Environment Agency on polluters in preventing (a) further incidences of pollution by the polluters and (b) incidences of pollution from others who have not previously polluted; what changes are planned; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how much has been levied in fines by the Environment Agency against (a) companies, (b) local authorities and (c) individuals with regard to incidences of pollution, broken down by type of pollution incidence (i) in total, (ii) in each region and (iii) per fine in each year since 1995.

Michael Meacher: The Environment Agency does not have the legal capacity to impose fines, which are a matter for the courts. The role of the Environment Agency is to present cases where they consider environmental damage to have been inflicted, and to maximise the chance of conviction by ensuring that all relevant information is made available to the court.
	No assessment has yet been made of the preventive effect of fines levied against environmental offenders. The Department shares the Agency's view that the level of fines being imposed for pollution offences is generally too low. We are now working together and with others, especially the Magistrates Association, to ensure that magistrates are trained and have an increased awareness of the implications of polluting activity and consequently impose more realistic fines. To this end, the Association recently circulated relevant training material to all its 28,000 members. The Government are also exploring the possibility of developing general guidelines on sentencing for environmental offences.
	The Agency does not hold statistical information on fines that predates the computerisation of their system in 1999. However, they produced the tables which address the question for convictions from 1999, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House.

Exercise Action Pilots

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what local exercise action pilots have been introduced by the Countryside Agency in collaboration with Sport England and the Department of Health to tackle obesity and increase physical activity.

Alun Michael: The Local Exercise Action Pilots Programme is a joint initiative funded by the Department of Health, Sport England and the Countryside Agency, with support from the Local Government Association, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Department for Education and Skills and Department for Transport. Nine local pilots led by Primary Care Trust are being developed to test effective approaches to increasing access to, and levels of, physical activity. The pilot sites will be announced in March.

Fly Tipping

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimated total volume of waste she estimates was illegally flytipped in each year since 1992, broken down by the nature of this waste.

Michael Meacher: Fly tipped waste is collected by both local authorities and the Environment Agency. Data on the volume of fly tipped waste are not collected centrally and so estimates cannot be provided. However, a recent report looking at fly tipped waste on agricultural land estimated that 0.6 million tonnes of waste was deposited on agricultural land in England and Wales in 2001. This is broken down as follows.
	
		
			 Waste type Grossed up weights for England and Wales (tonnes) 
		
		
			 White goods 2,900 
			 Furniture 5,600 
			 Green waste 94,000 
			 General household waste 8,500 
			 C and D waste 380,000 
			 Cars 118,000 
			 Tyres 8,700 
			 Total (2) 0.6 million (2) 
		
	
	The Government is currently discussing with the Environment Agency the potential for setting up a national recording system for fly tipping which would record these type of data from both the Agency and local authorities in England.

GM Crops

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what role the Minister of State for the Environment and Agri-Environment has in the Government's consideration of policy towards GM crops.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 27 February 2003
	I contribute to all aspects of the Government's policy thinking on GM crops.

Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the industries and activities which have moved (a) from a Part B process to a Part A process and (b) from a Part A to a Part B process, under the IPPC Regulations since the Climate Change Levy was introduced, providing reasons for changes which have taken place.

Michael Meacher: The Pollution Prevention and Control (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2001, came into force on 1 April 2001, the same date as the Climate Change Levy. The Amendment Regulations provided for certain activities listed in Part 1 of Schedule 1 to the Pollution Prevention and Control (England and Wales) Regulations 2000 to be moved from one section or part of a section to another in order to ensure that they were subjected to appropriate regulation.
	The Amendment Regulations transferred three industry sectors from Part B to Part A(2):
	(i) composite wood-based board manufacture: plant manufacturing wood particleboard, oriented strand board, wood fibreboard, plywood, and any other composite wood-based board, as well as the manufacture of cellulose fibre reinforced calcium silicate board using unbleached pulp;
	(ii) grinding of metallurgical slag (where not part of an A(1) installation) and where the installation has an annual grinding capacity of more than 250,000 tonnes; and
	(iii) large plant manufacturing new rubber tyres: installations which use, in any 12-month period, 50,000 tonnes or more of natural rubber, synthetic elastomers, and other substances mixed with them.
	The intention of these transfers was to secure environmental benefits from the control of a wider range of environmental impacts, compared with control of only air emissions under Part B.
	There have been no transfers of activities from Part A(2) to Part B.

Mobile Recycling Plants

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many mobile recycling plants there are in operation in the UK; and what their total weekly capacity is, broken down by region.

Michael Meacher: The most up to date information indicates that the Agency has issued 116 mobile plant licences for the treatment of waste soil. The typical annual licensed capacity (per plant) is up to 75,000 tonnes per annum. This would equate to a theoretical maximum annual treatment capacity of 8,700,000 tonnes per annum, or 167,308 tonnes per week of waste soil.
	The plants can operate anywhere in the UK and it is not possible to provide a breakdown of the capacity by region.
	One mobile plant licence has been issued for the treatment of waste refrigerationequipment. It has a weekly capacity of around 3000 fridges.

Nappies

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many disposable nappies she estimates were (a) used and (b) disposed of by (i) landfill, (ii) incineration and (iii) other means in the last year for which figures are available.

Michael Meacher: The last national study on disposable nappies was in 1993. Local authorities have carried out more recent studies, and the results suggest that nappies constitute approximately 4–5 per cent. of the municipal waste stream.
	The most recent figures show that 78 per cent. of municipal waste goes to landfill, 12 per cent. is recycled and 9 per cent. disposed of through thermal treatment. As disposable nappies cannot be recycled, using these figures we can estimate that approximately 90 per cent. are sent to landfill and 10 per cent. undergo thermal treatment.
	New work on a new compositional analysis of the municipal waste stream is being started at the beginning of the next financial year, with figures expected in December 2004. Nappies will be identified separately in this work.

Pollution

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the annual emission was of (a) NOx, (b) SOx, (c) particulates and (d) CO2 at (i) London Gatwick Airport and (ii) London Stansted Airport in the last year for which figures are available.

Alun Michael: The following table shows estimated emissions of Nox, Sox, particulates (PM10), and CO2 for Gatwick and Stansted Airports in 2000 (the latest year for which figures are available).
	
		
			  Gatwick (tonnes) Stansted (tonnes) 
		
		
			 NOx (as nitrogen dioxide) 3,670 867 
			 SOx (as sulphur dioxide) 137 61 
			 CO2 (carbon dioxide) 422,489 184,932 
			 Particles (as PM10) 41 16 
		
	
	Source:National Environment Technology Centre. These cover emissions from aircraft and airside vehicles within the perimeter of the airport. These cover emissions from aircraft and airside vehicles within the perimeter of the airport. Emissions are calculated from aircraft movement data for the airports in 2000. Aircraft emissions during complete take off and landing cycle up to 1,000m are allocated to the airport. Consequently a proportion of the emissions are emitted at some height and horizontal distance from the boundaries of the airport.

Refrigerators

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when proposed new recycling plants related to the recycling of refrigerators will come online; and what their capacity will be, broken down by region.

Michael Meacher: 10 fixed plants have already come online in Oldham, Willesden, Wallasey, Knighton, Bromsfield, Bradford, St Helens, Cradley Heath, Newport and Billingham. Each has a capacity of around 300k units per year. Plans are advanced for a further six plants in Chesterfield, Hertford, Wolverhampton, Sheffield, Birmingham and Kettering. One mobile plant, with a capacity of around 150k units per year, has been licensed to operate in Lewes, South Wales and Swindon.

Refrigerators

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many refrigerators and freezers are being stored by each local authority pending disposal or recycling.

Michael Meacher: There are no figures on the numbers of refrigerators and freezers being stored by local authority area. Most local authorities have already let contracts with fridge treatment companies so their backlog will have been removed. To monitor the disposal of refrigerators, we have asked local authorities to report on the number of fridges they have dealt with as part of the national waste monitoring questionnaire.

Tyres

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many tyres were (a) purchased, (b) reused and (c) disposed of by (i) landfill, (ii) incineration, (iii) illegal fly tipping and (iv) other means in each year since 1992.

Michael Meacher: The Used Tyre Working Group, which comprises representatives from the tyre industry and officials from the Department of Trade and Industry and the Environment Agency, has compiled statistics on used tyres since 1995. The statistics, which are based on information supplied to the UTWG on a voluntary basis, are indicative in nature since the quality of the source data varies.
	
		
			  Replacement tyre sales Tyres on new vehicles Total 
			  Units (m) Tonnes (000s) Units (m) Tonnes (000s) Units (m) Tonnes (000s) 
		
		
			 1995 27.9 382 11.2 94 39.1 476 
			 1996 27.2 359 11.6 96 38.8 456 
			 1997 26.6 369 12.4 100 39 468 
			 1998 27.8 370 12.9 106 40.7 476 
			 1999(1) 26.3 275 12.7 103 38.9 378 
			 2000 25 260 12.8 105 37.8 365 
			 2001 26.9 284 14.1 114 41.0 398 
		
	
	(1) From 1999 onwards, the method of calculating replacement tyre sales tonnage from unit information changed to better reflect the spread of commercial vehicle tyre sizes and weights.
	
		Tonnes (000s)(2)
		
			  1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 
		
		
			 Reused(3) 72 87 93 110 92 99 94 
			 Retreaded 124 116 110 86 66 56 49 
			 Recycled 41 41 34 49 83 75 107 
			 Energy recovery(4) 80 102 117 84 70 54 40 
			 Total recovery 317 346 354 328 311 283 290 
			 Other (inc. landfill)(5) 166 138 136 139 123 167 191 
			 Used tyre arisings(6) 483 484 490 468 427 450 481 
		
	
	(2) Units not separately identified, since recovery generally reported in tonnage terms.
	(3) Category includes part-worn tyres, tyres used for silage clamps and landfill engineering purposes and exports of used tyres.
	(4) Includes the former Elm Energy/Sita Tyre Recycling tyres to energy plant which closed in 2000.
	(5) The figure for landfill, as reported in the table, is effectively the balance between used tyre arisings and used tyre recovery. As well as covering the disposal of both whole and shredded tyres to landfill, it also includes those tyres which are disposed of to landfill as automotive shredder residue.
	(6) From 1999, total used tyre arisings have been based on the number of replacement tyre sales, numbers of vehicles scrapped and imports of used tyres as well as a proportion of tyres re-entering the waste stream after temporary re-use.
	The level of tyre fly-tipping is not separately identified. However, the Environment Agency responded to over 1,300 incidents involving tyres in 2002. The actual total is likely to be substantially higher since many incidents are reported directly to local authorities and do not feature in Environment Agency statistics.
	Government, through the Department of Trade and Industry, are shortly to issue a follow-up paper to its 2002 consultation on a possible statutory producer responsibility mechanism for used tyres. This follow-up paper invites views on the introduction of statutory reporting requirements through both the new tyre supply and used tyre disposal chains with the aim of improving the information base, promoting responsible tyre recovery and disposal practices while at the same time making it increasingly difficult for those fly-tipping tyres. The paper will also seek views on the introduction of a single point for the reporting of tyre fly-tipping incidents.

Waste Disposal

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total volume of (a) domestic, (b) commercial and (c) other waste was in each region in each year since 2000 and projected to 2005, broken down by the proportion of waste (i) sent to landfill, (ii) incinerated and (iii) disposed of by other means.

Michael Meacher: The available information is shown in the tables below. The latest available data for municipal waste are from the 2000/01 Municipal Waste Management Survey, by Defra and the National Assembly for Wales. In 2000–01 some 89 per cent of all municipal waste was domestic (household) waste. The latest available data for commercial and industrial waste are taken from the Environment Agency's National Waste Production Survey for 1999. Projections are not available.
	
		Municipal waste 2000–01
		
			 Government Region Municipal waste (000 tonnes) Landfill disposal (percentage) Incineration (percentage) Other methods (percentage) 
		
		
			 East Midlands 2,290 78 7 15 
			 East of England 2,918 82 2 16 
			 London 4,463 71 21 8 
			 North East 1,452 75 19 6 
			 NorthWest 4,155 90 1 9 
			 South East 4,344 81 0 19 
			 SouthWest 2,678 82 0 18 
			 Wales 1,642 93 0 7 
			 West Midlands 2,895 58 31 10 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 2,959 85 3 12 
			 Total: 2,959 79 8 13 
		
	
	
		Commercial waste 2000–01
		
			 Government Region Commercial waste (000 tonnes) Landfill disposal (percentage) Incineration (percentage) Other methods (percentage) 
		
		
			 East Midlands 1,787 49 5 46 
			 East of England 2,487 63 1 36 
			 London 4,350 56 1 43 
			 North East 996 45 8 47 
			 NorthWest 3,104 57 1 42 
			 South East 4,043 56 1 43 
			 SouthWest 2,322 52 1 48 
			 Wales 1,141 68 0 32 
			 West Midlands 2,340 45 9 46 
			 Yorkshire & the Humber 2,231 48 3 49 
			 Total: 24,802 54 3 43 
		
	
	
		Industrial Waste 1999
		
			 Government Region Industrial waste (000 tonnes) Landfill disposal (percentage) Incineration (percentage) Other methods (percentage) 
		
		
			 East Midlands 5,919 49 2 49 
			 East of England 3,652 46 2 52 
			 London 2,740 40 4 56 
			 North East 3,761 46 2 51 
			 NorthWest 6,475 45 1 54 
			 South East 4,958 46 1 53 
			 SouthWest 2,914 40 3 57 
			 Wales 4,989 33 1 66 
			 West Midlands 5,219 41 4 55 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 9,465 37 1 62 
			 Total: 50,090 42 2 56 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Percentages for tables may not add due to founding.
	2. 'Other Methods' for municipal waste will include recycled and composted waste and waste sent for refuse derived fuel.
	3. 'Other Methods' for commercial and industrial waste will include land recovery, re-used and recycled and a proportion of waste sent for treatment or transfer station.
	4. Industrial waste excludes construction and demolition, agriculture, mining and quarrying.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Central America

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to his United States counterpart in respect of United States involvement in the democratic process in countries of Central America.

Bill Rammell: FCO Officials are in regular consultation with the US Administration on a wide range of issues including Central American affairs. FCO Ministers have not made direct representations to US counterparts on the subject in question.

Cote d'Ivoire

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures his Department is taking to prevent violence between forces of the Government of Cote d'Ivoire and Liberian refugees.

Bill Rammell: We are not aware of any confirmed reports of violence between forces of the Government of Cote d'Ivoire and Liberian refugees. However, the UK is concerned that Liberians may be involved in the Cote d'lvoire conflict.
	The UK fully supported UN Security Council Resolution 1464 which urged all parties including the Cote d'Ivoire Government to implement the Linas-Marcoussis Peace Agreement and to take all necessary steps to avoid further violations of human rights and international law, particularly against civilians and regardless of their origin; and called upon the neighbour states of Cote d'Ivoire, including Liberia, to prevent any action that might undermine the security of Cote d'Ivoire. UNSCR 1464 also authorised French and ECOWAS troops to ensure 'the protection of civilians immediately threatened with physical violence within their zones of operation, using the means available to them'.
	We have raised our concern for Liberian refugees in Cote d'Ivoire in the UN Security Council.
	We have provided £1 million in humanitarian assistance. This has included the provision of emergency health services, water services and food supplies to civilians, internally displaced people and refugees in both government and rebel controlled areas. Many Liberian refugees have benefited from this assistance, particularly in the worst affected west of the country. We are also contributing £600,000 towards a UNHCR camp refurbishment programme for Liberian and Ivorian refugees who have crossed into Guinea.

Cyprus

Harold Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to promote a settlement in Cyprus.

Denis MacShane: I refer my hon. Friend to the written Ministerial Statement made by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary on 25 February 2003, Official Report, column 14WS, and to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Hendon (Mr. Dismore) on 25 February 2003, Official Report, column 427W.

EU Accession

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent communication he has had with the governments of the EU applicant countries regarding their accession to the European Union.

Denis MacShane: Her Majesty's Government has close relations with all the candidate countries for EU accession. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I, have met with representatives of incoming EU member states on a number of occasions both in London and on mainland Europe. I intend to visit several of the applicant countries.

EU Candidate Countries

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps remain to be taken before candidate countries become members of the EU.

Denis MacShane: The European Commission gave a positive opinion on 19 February to the accession of the 10 new members. The draft Accession Treaty is now being considered by the European Parliament, which is expected to give its assent on 9 April. The Council of Ministers will take a formal decision on 14/15 April to admit the new members. Heads of State and Government will meet in Athens on 16 April to sign the Accession Treaty. All 25 parties to the treaty will have until 30 April 2004 to ratify it according to their respective constitutional requirements. Subject to ratification of the treaty, the new members will accede to the Union on 1 May 2004.

EU Candidate Countries

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with European counterparts regarding the Turkish application to join the EU; and what talks he has had with (a) Greek and (b) Cypriot representatives on the issue.

Denis MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has regularly discussed Turkey's EU candidacy at meetings of EU foreign ministers in Brussels in the General Affairs and External Relations Council and in bilateral discussions. The EU is committed to opening accession negotiations with Turkey without delay if the European Council decides that it fulfils the Copenhagen political criteria. We look forward to working with the new Cypriot government to that end.

Foreign Agreements

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many agreements were reached between the UK Government and foreign powers in 2001; and of those, how many were agreed without Parliament being informed.

Bill Rammell: The negotiation and conclusion of international legally-binding agreements is a function of the executive. Such agreements are subsequently laid before Parliament as a Command Paper and, where the Ponsonby Rule applies, accompanied by an explanatory memorandum.
	Thirty five such agreements were signed by the United Kingdom in 2001, of which nine are yet to be published.

Funding

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the (a) environment, (b) education and (c) human resources grants funded by his Department for which individual members of the public and organisations may apply; how much funding has been provided in the last financial year in each case; how many awards were made; and what their administrative cost was.

Bill Rammell: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has three environment funds to which members of the public and organisations can apply. In the financial year 2001–02, The Climate Change Challenge Fund had an allocation of £800,000 and made six awards to organisations/members of the public totalling £151,650. The Environment Project Fund had an allocation of £1,750,000 in that year, and made 49 awards to organisations/members of the public totalling £295,000. The Environment Fund for Overseas Territories had an allocation of £500,000 and made 15 awards to organisations/members of the public. These funds are administered by officials in London and at overseas posts, and separate information about the administration costs specifically for these funds is not held centrally. It cannot therefore be compiled without disproportionate effort and cost.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth office holds funds for educational scholarships for which non-British members of the public can apply. In the financial year 2001–02 there were 2,366 Chevening Scholarship awards, the total cost of which was £40.1 million. Of this the FCO paid £31.5 million, other government departments £1.8 million, UK universities £2 million and the private sector £4.7 million. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office also funded 85 Commonwealth Scholarships and Fellowships Plan scholarships at a cost of £2 million and 87 Marshall Scholarships at a cost of £1,800,186. The British Council's management fee for administering the Chevening scheme was £4.25 million. The cost of the British Council's, the Association of Commonwealth Universities' and Commonwealth Scholarships Commission's administration of the Commonwealth Scholarships and Fellowships Plan scholarships was approximately £200,000. The Marshalls Commission administered the Marshall scholarships at a cost of £181,519. Additionally, all these schemes were administered in co-operation with a large number of officials in London and at overseas posts, but separate information on the time spent by these staff on this particular work is not held centrally and could not be compiled without disproportionate effort and cost.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office also provides financial assistance to educational institutions to fund joint seminars, conferences and workshops of FCO interest. These are not formal grants; the funding usually covers speakers' travel and accommodation expenses. In the financial year 2001–02 seven such events took place at a cost of £18,850. Administrative costs (mainly staff time) associated with these events are estimated to total 450.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has no human resource grants for which members of the public and organisations can apply.

General Affairs and External Relations Council

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the outcome was of the General Affairs and External Relations Council held on 24–25 February; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary represented the UK at the General Affairs and External Relations Council in Brussels on 24 and 25 February. No formal votes were taken. Conclusions were agreed by consensus.
	External Relations Session
	Wider Europe: New Neighbourhood
	The Council continued its discussion of the 'Wider Europe; New neighbourhood' initiative, originally proposed by the UK. A Commission Communication on 'Wider Europe' would be available for the next GAERC meeting. There would be further discussion at the enlarged meeting of the European Conference in Athens on 17 April. In discussion, Ministers noted the need to develop new policy instruments in addition to EU membership to influence its relations with other countries.
	Western Balkans
	The Presidency, High Representative Solana and Commissioner Patten gave presentations to the Council on the morning's political dialogue meetings with Croatia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Ministers noted Croatia's application to join the EU, for which some member states expressed their support, and noted the process for its consideration.
	The Council agreed conclusions on Serbia and Montenegro, Kosovo, Republic of Macedonia and return of refugees and internally displaced persons. In a brief discussion, Ministers urged Belgrade and Pristina to refrain from any unilateral initiatives which were incompatible with the objectives of a multi-ethnic and democratic Kosovo.
	Iraq and the Middle East
	Ministers discussed the Middle East and Iraq in the presence of the President of the Arab League, Mr. Hammoud, and of the Secretary General of the Arab League, Mr. Moussa.
	The Foreign Secretary explained in general terms plans for tabling a second resolution on Iraq, and stressed the need for a tough and clear message to Saddam that Iraq had to comply with relevant UNSCRs, in particular 1441. The Arab League representatives argued for more time for inspections. Ministers reaffirmed that full co-operation by Iraq on disarmament in accordance with UNSCR 1441 was an urgent objective shared by all.
	Ministers reaffirmed the importance of reinvigorating the Middle East Peace Process and supported early publication of the roadmap endorsed by the Quartet.
	ESDP
	High Representative Solana gave a presentation to the Council, including on the envisaged EU take-over of the international military presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The UK Permanent Representative commended joint proposals tabled by France and the UK on this subject, emphasising the need for careful and thorough planning. Other Ministers joined the UK in stressing the importance of a robust mandate and close co-operation with NATO.
	The Council took stock of implementation of the 'Berlin plus' permanent arrangements between the EU and NATO. It noted that the three main elements (assured access to NATO planning, presumption of availability of pre-identified NATO common assets and capabilities, and European command options including the role of DSACEUR) had been concluded. The Council also noted progress achieved in preparations for the EU's take-over of military operations in Macedonia.
	EU-Russia Relations
	EU-Russia relations were discussed ahead of the EU-Russia Summit on 31 May, in St. Petersburg, and in the context of the EU Common Strategy on Russia, which is coming up for review next June. The Presidency underlined the importance of making EU-Russia relations more effective and results-orientated and the need to focus on this at the Summit. The upcoming entry into force of the PCA (partnership and Co-operation Agreement)'s dispute settlement mechanism, was a step in the right direction.
	AOB: EU-OSCE Co-operation
	The Presidency underlined the importance it attached to EU-OSCE co-operation and referred to the EU-OSCE Ministerial meeting held in the morning. General Affairs Session
	Progress of work in the Convention
	Jean-Luc Dehaene, Vice Chairman of the European Convention, gave a progress report on work in the Convention on the Future of Europe. The Convention has now reached a decisive phase in its work, as it begins to flesh out a Constitutional Treaty. The first 16 draft articles (covering Titles on Establishment of the Union, Values, Objectives, Legal Personality, Fundamental Rights and Competencies), were circulated to the Convention at the plenary on 6 February. A large number of written comments have been received on these and will be the subject of a full debate at the plenary on 27–28 February. At the same time, a second batch of articles (on the Union's instruments and procedures) will be circulated.
	The President of the Convention, Valery Giscard d'Estaing, will make a further report to the European Council at its meeting of 20–21 March 2003. The Convention will present a final document later this year.
	Progress of work in other Council configurations
	The Council noted a Presidency report on work under way in the Council's other configurations. The report draw's particular attention to: the Economic/Financial Affairs Council meeting on 18 February, where a first exchange of views was held on the economic reform strategy set at Lisbon in March 2000; the conclusions adopted by the Education, Youth and Culture Council meeting on 6 February on activities aimed at creating coherence in education and training in Europe; and the conclusions adopted by the Agriculture and Fisheries Council on January 27–28 on the integration of environmental protection requirements in the Common Fisheries Policy and on the sustainable development of European aquaculture.
	Preparation of the European Council in March
	The Council examined a draft annotated agenda for the European Council prepared by the Presidency, in advance of substantive preparation at its next meeting on 18–19 March. At this stage the Presidency intends to limit the agenda to the Lisbon strategy of social and economic reform. The Government welcome this as the focus for discussion.
	The annotated draft agenda sets out the main items that the European Council is due to address in connection with the economic reform strategy that it laid down at Lisbon in March 2000, including how the strategy can be used to support the Union's enlargement. The agenda draws on the Commission's "Spring Report" on progress made on the Lisbon strategy and suggested policy orientations.
	At this stage the Presidency intends to limit the agenda to the Lisbon strategy, although there may be discussion of the international situation. The European Council will also hear a progress report on work of the European Convention from its President, Valery Giscard d'Estaing, and will hold an exchange of views with the President of the European Parliament, Pat Cox. Economic and Social cohesion in the run-up toenlargement
	The Council took note of a Commission presentation on its second interim report on economic and social cohesion in the Union. It requested the Permanent Representatives Committee to examine this document further and to report back at its meeting on 17 and 18 of June 2003. The Commission's third full cohesion report is due in autumn and will emphasise the unprecedented challenge for cohesion policy that enlargement will bring. It will also examine the conditions for implementation of a new generation of structural fund programmes for the 2007–13 period.

Gibraltar

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans his Department has to celebrate the 300th anniversary of British sovereignty over Gibraltar; and what representations he has received from (a) the Gibraltar Government and (b) Spain concerning the anniversary.

Denis MacShane: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Chorley (Mr. Hoyle) on 26 February 2003, Official Report, column 595W. We have not received any representations.

Human Rights Convention

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have been held with non-governmental human rights groups in preparation for the forthcoming UN Human Rights Convention, which opens on 17 March 2003 in Geneva.

Bill Rammell: I attended a pre-Commission on Human Rights (CHR) briefing session with NGO human rights groups on 13 February this year. The aim of the meeting was to brief the human rights community on the UK's approach towards the CHR and to give them the opportunity to feed in their views. The Forum is a key part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's dialogue with NGOs. Among a total number of 26 NGOs, representatives from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the All Party Parliamentary Human Rights Group attended the meeting.
	The UK delegation to the CHR in Geneva will keep in regular contact with British and International NGO representatives during this year's session of the CHR.

Human Rights Convention

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who the United Kingdom representatives will be at the United Nations Human Rights Conventions to be held in Geneva from 17 March 2003.

Bill Rammell: I will attend part of this year's session, and, as is customary, will address the Commission in plenary. Mrs. Audrey Glover CMG will head the United Kingdom delegation to the UN Commission on Human Rights as she has done since 1998. The delegation will include officials from the UK Representation to the EU in Brussels, UK Missions to the United Nations in Geneva and New York, as well as London-based officials from the Human Rights Policy Department and Global Issues Research Group of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and a representative from the Department for International Development

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the United States Government in respect of the United States registered companies shown to be suppliers to Iraq of military equipment and technology in the dossier provided by Iraq to the United Nations Security Council in December 2002.

Mike O'Brien: The Government has made no representations to the Government of the United States on this issue. It is a matter for the Government of the United States to take any action against US-registered companies alleged to have been involved in the supply of military equipment and technology to Iraq.

Iraq

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure the widest possible support for the UK sponsored draft resolution on Iraq at the UN; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We made it clear in tabling the draft Security Council Resolution on 24 February 2003 that it will not be put to a vote immediately. We are in active discussion with other members of the Security Council and key allies to build support for the tabled draft.

Iraq

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what evidence there is to support his statement, 26 February 2003, Official Report, column 270, that the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441 authorises the use of force against Iraq.

Mike O'Brien: The statements to which my hon. Friend refers concern the provision in United Nations Security Council resolution 1441(2002) which recalls that the Council has warned Iraq that it will face serious consequences as a result of its continued violation of its obligations. As the Government have made clear, that means consequences up to and including the use of force.

Kosovo

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his European colleagues on the final status of Kosovo; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I are in close and regular contact with European colleagues. On 24 February 2003, Foreign Ministers issued a statement at the European Union General Affairs and External Relations Council which reiterated the importance of full respect for UNSCR 1244, and urged all parties, both in Belgrade and in Pristina, to refrain from any unilateral initiatives which were incompatible with the objective of a multi-ethnic and democratic Kosovo, and which may jeopardise stability and the normalisation process not only in Kosovo but in the entire region

Moroccan Prisoners

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations his Department has made to the Algerian Government on the condition of Moroccan prisoners in Algerian detention camps.

Mike O'Brien: Officials regularly meet with representatives of the Algerian Government. They often raise the subject of the Moroccan prisoners of war held by the Polisario Front in camps in South Western Algeria, particularly when discussing the dispute over Western Sahara.

Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a written statement in the Official Report following each (a) ministerial meeting and (b) meeting of the Permanent Representatives of the OSCE.

Denis MacShane: We have no plans to make a written statement in the Official Report following each ministerial unless there is an issue of sufficient interest to report. I do not propose to make a written statement following weekly meetings of the Permanent Representatives. The OSCE website: www.osce.org carries reports of key OSCE business and decisions.

Palestinian Refugees

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to press Israel to implement United Nations General Assembly Resolution 194 of 1948 on the right of return for Palestinian refugees.

Mike O'Brien: The issue of the right of return of Palestinian refugees forms part of the final status negotiations. As with the other final status issues, the details of a solution are a matter for negotiation between the parties. We continually impress upon all parties the importance of returning to negotiations, and taking account of the relevant UN Resolutions

Spain

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his discussions with the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs since her appointment.

Denis MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and Foreign Minister Palacio have spoken frequently since her appointment as Foreign Minister in July last year. I also have spoken regularly to my Spanish counterpart, Ramon de Miguel. Discussion has covered international, European and bilateral issues.

Sudan

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received regarding the civil war in Sudan, with specific reference to the bombing campaign of the Sudanese Government in southern Sudan; and if he will place a copy of these reports in the Library.

Bill Rammell: We have received a copy of the US-led Civilian Protection Monitoring Team's report into the incident at Mundri (Lui), south Sudan. A copy of the report has been placed in the Library.

Sudan

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what end-use monitoring agreements relating to the export of military products are in place with Sudan; and what end-use monitoring mechanisms exist in each case.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 7 February 2003
	All export licences to Sudan are assessed against the Consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria, including the EU arms embargo and Military End Use Control.

Western Sahara

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has held with UN officials concerning the date of a referendum on the future of the Western Sahara; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: I refer my hon. Friend to the answers I gave him and the hon. Member for Richmond Park (Dr. Tonge) on 22 January 2003, Official Report, column 358W.

TREASURY

Animal Welfare

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many animals are used by customs and excise authorities in the UK, broken down by species.

John Healey: As at 28 February 2003, HM Customs and Excise had a total of 56 animals of the species canis familiaris (dogs), including those in service, training and planned replacements. No other species of animal is used.

Climate Change Levy

Sue Doughty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 7 January 2003, Official Report, column 195W, on the Climate Change Levy, why no estimate is available of levy receipts the Exchequer anticipates to receive during 2002–03 from those companies covered by negotiated climate change agreements; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: It is not possible to estimate climate change levy receipts at a sufficient level of detail to allow tax receipts expected from those businesses covered by negotiated climate change agreements to be identified separately. The negotiated agreements and sector fuel data, which serve as a basis for the estimating revenue, do not map exactly onto one another. Also, businesses in a specific sector and/or covered by an agreement can claim for more than one relief under the levy.
	It is also not possible for Customs to use data from levy receipts, since they collect the levy from fuel suppliers, while it is their customers that enter into the agreements.

Departmental Policies (Northampton)

Tony Clarke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of his Department's measures to tackle income inequality in Northampton.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government have taken a range of measures to tackle income inequality since 1997, including supporting families with increases in Child Benefit and the introduction of the Children's Tax Credit; supporting low income people in and into work through introduction of the National Minimum Wage, the 10 per cent. starting rate of Income Tax, reductions in National Insurance contributions for the low paid, and the Working Families' Tax Credit (WFTC) and Disabled Person's Tax Credit (DPTC); and supporting pensioners with increases in the basic State Pension, provision of the winter fuel payment, and for the poorest pensioners through the Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG).
	As an indication of the coverage of some of the measures designed to tackle income inequality, 4,800 families with children in Northampton were receiving the WFTC and DPTC in August 2002, while there were 4,600 pensioner households in Northampton claiming the MIG in November 2002.

Home Insurance

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to stop mortgage lenders charging fees when customers switch their home insurance.

Ruth Kelly: None.

Insurance Mediation Directive

David Cameron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what representations he has received on the decision that the Insurance Mediation Directive will be administered by the Financial Services Authority under a statutory regime;
	(2)  what estimates he has made of the cost to (a) insurance brokers and (b) the insurance industry of complying with the Insurance Mediation Directive; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The Government published a consultation document, "Regulating Insurance Mediation" on 21 October 2002 that set out its proposals on implementing the Insurance Mediation Directive. Consultation closed on 31 January 2003 and the Government received around 400 responses. Representations were received from trade bodies, insurance providers and insurance intermediaries as well as from travel agents and consumer organisations. A draft regulatory impact assessment (RIA), setting out the proposals in the consultation document, was published as annex E to the consultation document. The Government will be revising the draft RIA in the light of wider consultation responses.

Manufacturing Exports

Russell Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimates he has made of the value of manufacturing export from companies within the Dumfries and Galloway region in the last 10 years.

Ruth Kelly: The estimate for value of manufacturing exports as declared by companies within the Dumfries and Galloway region is as follows:
	
		£ million
		
			 Year Exports value 
		
		
			 1996 69 
			 1997 57 
			 1998 64 
			 1999 56 
			 2000 78 
			 2001 73 
			 2002 65 
		
	
	Note:
	Regional trade statistics are not available prior to 1996.
	The value of all exports (including manufacturing but excluding services) from this region has been approximately £90 million per year on average.

Middle East

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he plans to allow tax concessions for Britons who have been advised to leave the middle east because of the political situation in the region.

Dawn Primarolo: Under a long standing Inland Revenue practice, days spent in the UK due to exceptional circumstances beyond an individual's control may, in certain cases, be disregarded in deciding whether the individual is resident here for tax purposes.
	This practice was applied on a case by case basis after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, and its application to the current situation is being kept under close review.

Sure Start

Graham Allen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will meet the hon. Member for Nottingham, North to discuss the Strelley/Broxtowe Sure Start and its loss of underspends caused by building delays.

Maria Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	Officials will meet with the Broxtowe and Strelley Sure Start programme on 4 March. Pending the outcome of this meeting Baroness Ashton, the Parliamentary Under Secretary for Sure Start, would be pleased to meet with my hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham, North.

Taliban

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the Taliban assets in the UK which (a) are frozen and (b) were frozen in October 2001; when assets were frozen of the Afghan National Credit and Finance and the National Trading Company of Afghanistan; and what was the value of frozen assets.

Ruth Kelly: The al-Qaeda and Taliban (United Nations Measures) Order implementing United Nations Security Council Resolution 1390 allowed for the release of Taliban funds to the legitimate Government of Afghanistan. As a result, UK financial institutions have made such funds available to the Afghan Government and no Taliban (as distinct from al-Qaeda) funds remain frozen. As I indicated in my written answer of 16 October 2001, to the hon. Member (at column 1212W), no funds belonging to Afghan National Credit and Finance have been frozen in the UK. The assets of the National Trading Company of Afghanistan were frozen on 5 October 2001 as a temporary measure but were then unfrozen since they were not covered by UN sanctions. As my written answer explained, some £63 million sterling in 33 accounts had been frozen as at 15 October 2001. Regrettably, the sterling value of the frozen account of Khalid Al Fawwaz was incorrectly printed in the Official Report as £23.19 million; the correct figure, as stated in my written answer and as reflected in the total figure, was £23.19.

Tax (Non-residents)

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many individuals were considered to be non-domiciled for tax purposes in the UK in each year from 1980–81 to 2001–02; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: This information is not available.

Trust Ports

Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if trust ports classified as public corporations are required to remit an annual dividend to the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Ruth Kelly: It is for the Department for Transport to determine whether any trust ports classified as public corporations should be required to remit an annual dividend. Any dividend would be payable to the Department for Transport.

Trust Ports

Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 16 December 2002, Official Report, column 597W, if he will place in the Library the information held by the Office of National Statistics concerning the retrospective classification of trust ports as public corporations.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from John Pullinger to Christopher Chope, dated 4 March 2003
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question regarding information held by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) concerning the retrospective classification of Trust Ports as public corporations. I am replying in his absence. (100702)
	The ONS has been working on the basis of published Annual Accounts and legislation on individual Trust Ports supplied by the Department for Transport. ONS does not hold any information of its own on Trust Ports. As stated in earlier replies, major Trust Ports have been reclassified as public corporations in National Accounts. We are continuing to examine the information about smaller ports to identify whether they should be private and public corporations.

Unpaid Tax

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the amount of unpaid tax in each year since 1993–94, broken down by (a) income tax, (b) VAT, (c) customs duties, (d) corporation tax and (e) other taxes; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Inland Revenue
	The Inland Revenue's accounting for tax runs to the end of October each year. The table below shows the amounts of unpaid assessed and unassessed taxes at the end of each accounting year. The figures for uncollected tax represent net tax charged but not paid at the accounting date, and are a snapshot of the position at that date. Amounts of tax unpaid at the accounting date have, over the period covered in the table, approximately halved as a proportion of the tax collected during the year.
	(£)million
	
		
			 Position at end ofyear to 31 October Income tax other than PAYE Corporate tax Other tax(7) Total 
		
		
			 1993 2,401.8 631.4 184.1 3,217.3 
			 1994 2,249.9 719.7 155.9 3,125.5 
			 1995 2,201.2 576.0 131.4 2,908.6 
			 1996 2,326.8 1,287.4 141.4 3,755.6 
			 1997 2,270.4 682.7 136.3 3,089.4 
			 1998 2,278.9 710.0 177.6 3,166.5 
			 1999 2,492.2 606.4 57.4 3,156.0 
			 2000 2,350.8 571.0(7) 49.9 2,971.7 
			 2001 2,348.7 566.6(7) 33.6 2,948.9 
		
	
	(7) These figures include estimates for the amount of unpaid self assessed corporate tax.
	Customs and Excise
	An analysis fo Customs' debt management performance, covering VAT, Customs duties and other indirect taxes, for years from 1998 is available in their annual report and accounts 2001–2002 which was published December 2002, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House. The figures for "debt" represent a snapshot of liabilities established and reported for collection as at the financial year-end and include assessed liabilities subject to dispute, and so not immediately available for recovery, and assessed liabilities generated through anti-fraud activity.
	For both Departments, much of the tax uncollected at the balance of each account is subsequently collected, and most of the amount outstanding attracts either an interest charge or default surcharge.

VAT Exemption

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he has estimated the net change in value added tax revenue which would result from the proposed VAT exemption for welfare services provided by state-regulated private welfare agencies;
	(2)  what discussions officials from his Department have had with representatives of state-regulated private welfare agencies concerning the proposed VAT exemption for welfare services provided by state-regulated private welfare agencies;
	(3)  when the proposed VAT exemption for welfare services provided by state-regulated private welfare agencies will come into force.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the net revenue implications of changes to VAT treatment of services connected with the care and protection of children and young people by independent fostering agencies;
	(2)  what notice was given to independent fostering agencies about changes to VAT treatment of services connected with the care and protection of children and young people and reclamation of VAT on inputs purchased.

John Healey: The Government's decision at the end of last year to abolish VAT on essential care in the home will cut the cost of home care for many of the 60,000 people who currently buy in these services. Someone previously paying £400 a month for care could see a reduction of £40 in their bill as a result of these VAT changes, which have been discussed between officials and a wide range of organisations.
	The changes will cost an estimated £30 million per year, of which a negligible amount relates to services connected with the care and protection of children and young people by independent fostering agencies.
	Welfare services provided by state-regulated private welfare agencies can be exempt from 31 January. Independent fostering agencies, whose supplies are to local authorities, may choose to postpone changing the VAT treatment of their supplies until 1 April while they make the contractual and financial arrangements that are necessary for them to implement the change. This was announced in Customs and Excise business brief 01/03, issued on 20 January, and Customs additionally wrote to agencies on 24 and 30 January.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Social and Environmental Reporting

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to make social and environmental reporting mandatory for medium and large companies.

Melanie Johnson: The Government's plans for a revised reporting regime for all companies were contained in the White Paper "Modernising Company Law" (Cm 5553), published in July 2002. This included the proposal that economically significant companies should be required to prepare an Operating and Financial Review as part of their annual financial statements and reports. The Review would include information on social and environmental matters where those were relevant to an informed assessment of the company. We intend to bring forward legislation as soon as Parliamentary time permits.

Accountancy

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations she has received from bodies representing the accountancy profession on the use of the term Accountant.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 28 February 2003
	None, excepting in their response to the Department's recent consultation on the Review of the Regulatory Regime of the Accountancy Profession, the Irish Institute of Chartered Accountants raised a point about defining the term "accountant" in Irish and in UK legislation.

Age Diversity

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when her Department completed its diagnostic review for compliance with the Government's Code of Practice for Age Diversity in Employment; and what changes her Department plans to make following the review.

Patricia Hewitt: The DTI has taken a number of steps to embed the provisions of the Code of Practice, produced in 1999. This has led to the removal of all obvious and unjustifiable age discrimination including in DTI job advertisements and in selection criteria. The Code has been superseded by the Cabinet Office's Winning the Generation Game report and we have adopted, or have already met, its recommendations for Departments. This includes from August 2002 giving all staff in the DTI below the Senior Civil Service the option of continuing to work to age 65.

Bottled Water

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many incidences and what total volume of bottled water has been withdrawn from sale in the United Kingdom since 1992, broken down by reasons for withdrawal; and what prosecutions have resulted.

Hazel Blears: I have been asked to reply.
	The Food Standards Agency (FSA) only has reliable data on national withdrawals of bottled water following FSA advice in a food hazard warning.
	Since April 2000, when the FSA was formed, there has been only one withdrawal of bottled water as a result of a food hazard warning and the FSA has no information on the volume of water withdrawn. The reason for withdrawal was microbial contamination.
	Formal action in the case of this withdrawal, which took place in October 2002, is a matter for the relevant local authority. The FSA does not collate information on withdrawals instigated by local authorities, or on withdrawals initiated by the water bottler.

Employment Tribunals Service

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the Employment Tribunals Service makes payment and administers the arrangements for the provision for a sign language interpreter or other forms of communication support when requested by a deaf person coming before a tribunal.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 27 January 2003
	The Employment Tribunals Service (ETS) pays reasonable fees and costs for the provision of a professional interpreter, palantypist, lip-speaker, or other professional form of communication support when requested by a deaf person coming before a tribunal.
	While there are no limits on interpreters' fees, the ETS uses the rates for interpreters charged by the major agencies as a guide. The Tribunal may permit a friend or relative to act as an interpreter and he or she may claim the same travel and other expenses (but not a fee) as the deaf person.
	The ETS is able to put deaf people in touch with appropriately qualified interpreters via a national register but it does not administer the provision. Such matters are left to the individual concerned because of differing personal requirements.

Fur Labelling

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans her Department has to enforce the (a) accurate and (b) specific labelling of fur used in consumer goods; and if she will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: The Trade Descriptions Act 1968 makes it a criminal offence, if a trader applies a false trade description to any goods or, supplies or offers to supply any goods to which a false description is applied. This legislation is enforced by local authority trading standards departments.
	I also refer the answer given to the hon. Member on 25 February 2003, Official Report, column 421W, about the difficulties of identifying certain fur types and the steps that this Department is taking to address this matter.

Newspapers (Carriage Costs)

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent assessment she has made of the progress being made by the Office of Fair Trading investigation into the carriage costs charged by newspaper wholesalers to independent newsagents; and if she will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is currently reviewing the undertakings given by newspaper wholesalers, introduced following the then Monopolies and Mergers Commission report in 1993, on the supply of national newspapers in England and Wales.
	The Office of Fair Trading published its findings and provisional recommendation on 12 December 2002. The OFT found that carriage and service charges have risen faster than costs (which in turn have risen significantly faster than retail price inflation). The provisional recommendation, to liberalise selling-on within exclusive territories, is open to public consultation until 14 March 2003. The OFT will then finalise its recommendations and report to DTI.

Part-time Workers

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to ensure that part-time workers receive (a) the minimum wage and (b) appropriate levels of paid leave.

Alan Johnson: Annual publicity campaigns have ensured that awareness of the minimum wage is at almost universal levels. Enforcement of the minimum wage is carried out by the Inland Revenue. If any worker—whether part or full-time—is not receiving the minimum wage, they should phone the helpline on 0845 6000 678. All complaints are followed up by Inland Revenue enforcement teams and workers' details remain confidential.
	The Working Time Regulations give all workers the right to four weeks paid leave per year. Part-timers receive this pro-rata depending on the hours they normally work. This was publicised following the introduction of the Regulations and again in 2001. It is enforced through the Employment Tribunals.

CABINET OFFICE

E-Government

Bob Blizzard: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make a statement on progress with the introduction of e-government.

Douglas Alexander: The Government's target is to make all government services available electronically by 2005 with key services achieving high levels of use. The last survey of e-government services showed that 54 per cent. of services are available electronically.

Civil Service (Ethnic Diversity)

Russell Brown: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent progress has been made in improving ethnic minority recruitment into the civil service.

Ben Chapman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make a statement on ethnic diversity within the civil service.

Douglas Alexander: The Government remain strongly committed to a civil service that is fully representative of the community it serves.
	Ethnic minorities make up 7.9 per cent. of the civil service as a whole and 2.8 per cent. at senior civil service level, up from 5.7 per cent. and 1.6 per cent. respectively in April 1998. Our target for senior civil service level staff is 3.2 per cent. by 2004–5.

Civil Service Legislation

Tony Wright: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress has been made on proposals for civil service legislation.

Douglas Alexander: The Public Administration Select Committee, chaired by my hon. Friend the Member for Cannock Chase, and the Committee on Standards in Public Life are looking at this issue. We will want to consider the work of these two important committees.

Health Sector Targets

Gary Streeter: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions he has had in recent weeks with the Delivery Unit about Government targets in the health sector.

Douglas Alexander: There are regular meetings with the Delivery Unit to discuss a range of delivery issues, including health.

Government Websites

Greg Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many Government websites comply with W3C standards.

Douglas Alexander: The Government Interoperability Framework and the Guidelines for UK Government Websites require that all Government websites that employ hypertext markup languages comply with published W3C's standards. Responsibility for adopting the W3C standards rests with those in charge of individual websites and is not centrally monitored.

Government Websites

Greg Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many Government websites have a PCIS rating.

Douglas Alexander: PICS labels are registered through a third-party organisation, the Internet Content Rating Association, and I have asked them to check for the latest figures. I will write to the right hon. Gentleman when these figures are available.

Online Nation Campaign

Greg Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when the Government plans to launch the Online Nation campaign.

Douglas Alexander: The Prime Minister announced at the e-Summit in November 2002 that the Government would run the Online Nation campaign in spring 2003. The campaign will encourage people, particularly those from socially excluded groups, to experience the benefits of the internet. A pilot campaign will run in Newcastle from 5–31 March.

LORD CHANCELLOR

CAFCASS

Simon Hughes: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what her estimate is of the efficiency savings that will be made by CAFCASS over the next 10 financial years.

Rosie Winterton: CAFCASS is committed to making effective and efficient use of public resources, as stated in its Corporate Plan 2002–06. For 2003–04 Ministers will set targets regarding CAFCASS' performance, including the development of efficiency measures. The expected efficiency savings will be published in CAFCASS Corporate Plans.

Constituency Boundaries

Tony Clarke: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when he expects the boundary commission to complete its review of constituency boundaries; and when the review will be implemented.

Christopher Leslie: I have been asked to reply.
	At the outset of their fifth general review of parliamentary constituencies in February 2000, it was the intention of the Boundary Commission for England to conclude the review by the end of December 2005. That target date remains although it is possible it may change in the future. The Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 requires the Secretary of State to lay the report with a draft of an Order in Council giving effect to the recommendations, with or without modifications, as soon as possible after the report is received.

Jury Service

Paul Keetch: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department for what reason payment for jury service increases after five days' service.

Yvette Cooper: Jurors are not paid for jury service but can claim financial loss allowances to cover loss of earnings or benefits, or increased expenses, incurred as a result of jury service. The maximum daily allowance of £52.63 increases to £105.28 where service exceeds 10 days. This increase acknowledges that jurors might incur additional expenses when they are required to serve for a longer period.

Public Record Office

David Laws: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment she has made of the effect on net government spending on the Public Records Office of introducing additional charging for access to records; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Most of the services provided by the PRO are free of charge. This includes access to original records and microforms at Kew and the Family Records Centre; consultation of PROCAT, the online catalogue relating to the PRO's own holdings, and the Access to Archives virtual catalogue for England; the award-winning Learning Curve gallery which provides online material for schools relating to the history national curriculum; and selected digital record images, including those which have featured in recent press coverage.
	The PRO has introduced charges for online access to electronic copies of paper records. These same paper records are accessible free of charge onsite at the PRO. This new electronic internet service, which is over and above the PRO's statutory service, is charged at full cost recovery and hence has no effect on the PRO's net government spending.
	The PRO's 1901 census online service is provided by QinetiQ. The rates are fixed by Statutory Instrument and are based on the principle of full cost recovery. Until QinetiQ has recovered its full investment from the project from the income it receives, the PRO will not receive any income and hence this service has no effect on the PRO's net government spending.

Public Record Office

David Laws: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what reasons underlie the change in total public spending on the Public Record Office between 1998–99 and 2003–04; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The changing pattern of the PRO's expenditure in this period is mainly explained by the progressive introduction of new services, which collectively make a significant contribution to the e-government agenda.
	The PRO website usage has grown from 738,977 in 1998–99 to a projected figure of 70 million in 2002–03 and is now regularly one of the top five government websites consulted by online users in the United Kingdom. The website includes a detailed electronic catalogue of the PRO's records and many digital record images of strong interest to educational users at all levels and to family historians.
	It is also offering detailed guidance and increased support to other Government Departments, as they make plans to meet the target of introducing Electronic Records Management (ERM) by 2004. The PRO is itself on course to implement ERM in full in the business year 2003–04.
	In the area of digital preservation, it is currently making arrangements for long-term archiving by setting up a secure repository at Kew, which can store selected electronic records transferred from other Government Departments. In this way a crucial part of the nation's memory will be made available to present and future generations. In the forthcoming year the PRO will secure new storage for its offsite records, thereby ensuring that all of its accessioned material is kept in conditions which comply with the relevant British Standard.
	Further details about the PRO's programmes and expenditure are to be found in the Keeper's annual reports from 1998–99 to 2001–02, copies of which are available in the Library. Information about its latest achievements can be obtained from the website at www.pro.gov.uk.

Work Placements

Graham Allen: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many university students her Department and associated agencies have supported or sponsored with a work placement in the last year; what her policy is on work placements; what plans she has to develop such schemes; and what her policy is on paying their university fees.

Rosie Winterton: In 2002 we offered 19 under graduates paid work experience broadly at executive officer level. This consisted of the following schemes that are run each year.
	We have given 10 students work experience through the departmental summer placement scheme advertised via the Cabinet Office. The scheme aims to encourage students to consider the department or civil service overall as a career option.
	In addition, seven students were placed on the Cabinet Office summer development programme. The purpose of the programme is to encourage ethnic minority students to join the civil service through the fast stream programme.
	We support the Windsor Fellowship scheme and offer two fellows work experience each year. This is a structured outreach training and development programme for ethnic minority students.
	It is our intention to offer placements under all of these schemes during summer 2003 and thereafter.
	The Department does not have a policy to pay university fees, but has provisions to fund degrees for staff.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Audit Commission (Inspectors)

Archie Norman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many inspection staff have been employed by the Audit Commission responsible for inspecting local authorities in each year since 1997.

Christopher Leslie: The number of staff employed in the Audit Commission's inspection directorate, including inspectors and direct support staff, by Audit Commission financial year (1 November—31 October), is as follows:
	
		
			  Number of staff employed 
		
		
			 1996–1997 Nil 
			 1997–1998 4 
			 1998–1999 18 
			 1999–2000 73 
			 2000–2001 324 
			 2001–2002 438 
			 2002–2003 400 (budget)

Community Empowerment Fund

John Battle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much funding Leeds city Council has received from the Community Empowerment Fund; which organisations manage the fund; what projects have been developed; and which communities benefit.

Barbara Roche: Leeds city council receives no Community Empowerment Fund (CEF) money. CEF is always provided directly to a community or voluntary sector organisation in each of the 88 most deprived local authority areas in England (which receive Neighbourhood Renewal Fund) to build the local community's capacity to engage effectively on Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs).
	CEF does not fund 'projects' as such. It is used to develop and support a fully inclusive Community Empowerment Network (CEN) and helping to facilitate community and voluntary sector involvement in the LSP, especially the most deprived neighbourhoods and hard-to-reach groups.
	Leeds Voice is the organisation administering CEF in Leeds. It is also the CEN. The grant allocation for Leeds is £501,898 over three years (2001–04). 2002–03 is the second year of the programme.
	Leeds Voice Community Link teams work to engage 'hard to reach' and disadvantaged groups. Their Forum team facilitates 'forums of interest'—e.g. community groups addressing issues of learning, health, environment, faith and Connexions—and 'area based forums' for the community and voluntary sector—e.g. in South Leeds and Chapeltown/University.

External Finance/Council Tax (Increases)

Andrew Turner: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list for each local authority the percentage increase in (a) aggregate external finance and (b) council tax from (i) 1997–98 to 2002–03 and (ii) 2002–03 to 2003–04.

Nick Raynsford: (a) Aggregate external finance (AEF) can be defined either on a gross or net basis. The net definition comprises revenue support grant and redistributed national non-domestic rates; the gross definition additionally includes police grant and special and specific grants.
	(i) Figures for AEF for each local authority on a like-for-like basis for years between 1997–98 and 2002–03 are not held centrally on either gross or net bases, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. For England as a whole, the comparable increase in gross AEF in that period is £11.6 million or 30 per cent. and the increase in net AEF is £6.6 million or 20 per cent.
	(ii) Figures for gross AEF for 2003–04 are not yet available for each local authority. Figures for the percentage increase in net AEF between 2002–03 and 2003–04 are, however, available and have been placed in the Library of the House. For England as a whole, the comparable increase in gross AEF is £3.8 million or 8 per cent. and the increase in net AEF is £2.2 million or 5.8 per cent.
	(b)(i) Figures for the percentage increase in council tax for each local authority between 1997–98 and 2002–03 have been placed in the Library of the House.
	(ii) Council taxes for 2003–04 are still being set, and figures are therefore still being collected by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. They will not be available until validated information has been received from each local authority.

Fire Services

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what figure for the percentage increase in fire service productivity over the past 10 years was submitted to the Bain Inquiry by the Fire Service employers.

Nick Raynsford: The evidence given by the fire brigades' national employers to the independent review of the fire service is a matter for the employers. Their evidence to the review is available on their website (www.lg-emplovers.gov.uk).

Fire Services

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which Fire Brigades have introduced an integrated personal development system with the agreement of the FBU (a) as a pilot scheme and (b) in full.

Nick Raynsford: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is not aware of any Brigades which have introduced an integrated personal development system either as a pilot scheme or in full. The eight components which support the Integrated Personal Development System (IPDS) are still under development.

Fire Services

Michael Weir: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost would be to the fire service employers of the implementation of the recommendations contained in the Bain review.

Nick Raynsford: The Independent Review of the Fire Service have said that the costs and savings of their proposals will balance over the next three years, the period of the Spending Review 2002. Chapter 12 of the Independent Review's report sets out in detail the costs and benefits of the reforms they propose. The Independent Review's final report is available on their website at www.irfs.org.uk, and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

Fire Services

Michael Weir: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what overtime hours were worked by firefighters, in each fire brigade area, in the last period for which figures are available.

Nick Raynsford: There is a Fire Brigades Union ban on pre-arranged overtime which has been called into question by the independent review of the fire service. However, unplanned overtime is worked e.g. when firefighters are in attendance at an incident at the end of their shift. Details of this overtime are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

GLA (Elections)

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he is taking to reduce the numbers of spoilt ballot papers at the 2004 elections for the Greater London Authority.

Tony McNulty: The Greater London Authority (GLA)—through the Greater London Returning Officer—is working with the Electoral Commission to develop a publicity and information strategy which will help voters understand what they are voting for and how to exercise their votes at the 2004 GLA elections.
	At the same time, the Government is consulting on "Changes To The Rules For London Mayoral And Assembly Elections". After the consultation closes on 10 March, all consultation responses will be considered before any amendments to the rules are put before Parliament.

New Deal

Matthew Green: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many employees of New Deal for Communities projects (a) have been made redundant and (b) had a contract terminated early in each of the last five years.

Barbara Roche: During the last five financial years 17 employees of New Deal Communities Partnerships have had their contracts terminated and two have been made redundant.

Sustainable Communities

Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the funding for Housing—London, East and South East and Housing—other regions in 2003–04 identified in the table on page 66 of Sustainable Communities: Building for the Future, includes (a) local authority social housing grant, (b) the housing investment programme and (c) the major repairs allowance.

Tony McNulty: (a) The table does not include local authority social housing grant. This is being abolished from April 2003. However, provision has been made in the housing transitional arrangements line of the table to safeguard LASHG schemes in progress or committed.
	(b) The table does include the Housing Investment Programme (HIP). This is £842 million for 2003–04. From 2004–05 resources provided to local authorities for HIP, and resources provided to the Housing Corporation will be put into a single regional housing pot. Final decisions on the allocation of resources will be made based on advice from the new Regional Housing Boards.
	(c) The major repairs allowance is not included in the table. This totals over £4 billion for the next three years.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Aggregates Tax

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures he has put in place to assess the impact of the aggregates tax on companies in Northern Ireland.

Ian Pearson: Officials from the Department of Finance and Personnel are passing information to HM Customs and Excise on the prevailing conditions within the aggregates industry since the introduction of the Tax. However, responsibility for policy regarding the Aggregates Tax rests with HM Treasury/Customs and Excise.

Areas of Special Scientific Interest

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the European-recognised Area of Special Scientific Interest sites in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: There are two classes of site recognised for their scientific interest at the European level: Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) under the Habitats Directive (1992); and Special Protection Areas (SPA) under the Birds Directive (1979).
	Final agreement on the UK list of candidate SAC has not yet been reached with the European Commission. Among those proposed for the UK, the following sites are in Northern Ireland.
	Aughnadarragh Lough
	Ballynahone Bog
	Ballykilbeg
	Banagher Glen
	Bann Estuary
	Binevenagh
	Black Bog
	Breen Wood
	Carn/Glenshane Pass
	Cladagh (Swanlinbar) River
	Cranny Bogs
	Cuilcagh Mountain
	Curran Bog
	Dead Island Bog
	Deroran Bog
	Derryleckagh
	Eastern Mournes
	Fairy Water Bogs
	Fardrum and Roosky Turloughs
	Garron Plateau
	Garry Bog
	Hollymount
	Largalinny
	Lecale Fens
	Lough Melvin
	Magheraveely Marl Loughs
	Magilligan
	Main Valley Bogs
	Monawilkin
	Moneygal Bog
	Moninea Bog
	Montiaghs Moss
	Murlough
	North Antrim Coast
	Owenkillew River
	Peatlands Park
	Pettigoe Plateau
	Rathlin Island
	Rea's Wood and Fair's Bay
	Rostrevor Wood
	Slieve Beagh
	Slieve Gullion
	Strangford Lough
	Teal Lough
	Tonnagh Beg Bog
	Tully Bog
	Turmennan
	Upper Ballinderry River
	Upper Lough Erne
	West Fermanagh Scarplands
	Wolf Island Bog
	The sites classified as SPAs are:
	Belfast Lough
	Carlingford Lough
	KiHough Bay and Strand Lough
	Larne Lough (Incorporating Swan Island SPA)
	Lough Neagh and Lough Beg
	Outer Ards
	Pettigoe Plateau
	Rathlin Island (Incorporating Rathlin Cliffs SPA)
	Sheep Island
	Strangford Lough
	Upper Lough Erne
	Lough Foyle

Banking

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for what reasons banking institutions in Northern Ireland were excluded from examination and control by the Director General of Fair Trading, with particular reference to excessive charging for current accounts; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: I have been asked to reply.
	The Competition Commission, in its report on the supply of banking services to SMEs, made an adverse public interest finding in relation to the charging of excessive prices and therefore the making of excessive profits by the largest four clearing groups operating in England and Wales. These were HSBC, Barclays, Lloyds TSB and RBSG. The Fair Trading Act 1973 does not empower the Secretary of State to impose remedies on a company in the absence of an adverse finding. The Director General of Fair Trading was therefore required to seek undertakings in relation to interest on current accounts in surplus, or provision of free money transmission services, from these four banks only in respect of their operations in England and Wales. The conclusions of the Commission's reasoning is reported at paragraphs 2.418 to 2.431 and 2.490 to 2.495 of its report.

Belfast City Airport

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether public consultation will take place prior to the proposed increase in flights into and out of Belfast City Airport.

Angela Smith: The Department of the Environment's Planning Service and Belfast City Airport have a planning agreement, signed in January 1997, under Article 40 of the Planning (Northern Ireland) Order 1991. This agreement includes controls on operating hours to restrict scheduled flights to between 06.30 hours and 21.30 hours. The agreement makes provision for delayed flights to arrive between 21.30 hours and 23.59 hours.
	To date, no formal approach has been made to Planning Service seeking provision to be made for later flights. Upon receipt of an application to amend the present planning agreement governing the operation of Belfast City Airport, the Department of the Environment would examine the application on its merits. In particular, this would involve considering whether a new planning agreement was required and the most appropriate method of dealing with the application, including the possibility of holding a Public Inquiry.

Competition Commission

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the recommendations of the Competition Commission in respect of the eight clearing banking institutions in the United Kingdom will apply to Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: I have been asked to reply.
	The Competition Commission made adverse public interest findings about eight leading clearing banks in respect of their operations in the UK. These banks have provided my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and the Chancellor of the Exchequer with behavioural undertakings to remedy the adverse effects. Ministers announced on 31 October that they had accepted these undertakings, which apply to their operations throughout the United Kingdom.

Diabetes

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the cost of diabetes and its associated complications to the health service in Northern Ireland.

Des Browne: The information on which to base such an estimate is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Domestic Violence

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to tackle domestic violence in Northern Ireland.

Des Browne: The regional forum on domestic violence provides the focal point for taking forward issues on domestic violence in Northern Ireland. Much of the work of the forum is carried out by working groups on inter-agency co-operation; criminal justice; education and training; research and information; work with churches and most recently, child protection issues. Local inter-agency groups are also established in all eleven Health and Social Services Community Trusts.
	The Northern Ireland Office also is currently co-ordinating, on behalf of the Northern Ireland Departments, the development of a strategy to tackle violence against women inNorthern Ireland. The strategy is due for publication in Spring 2003 and will look at a range of crimes, including domestic violence, where women are predominately the victim.
	In addition, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive's homelessness Strategy and Services Review has been developed in acknowledgment of the need to help prevent homelessness resulting from domestic violence, help victims escape such situations through the delivery of adequate accommodation and support services and help support victims upon being re-housed.

Education Strategy

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions have occurred between the Department of Education and the Department of Employment and Learning regarding development of a strategy on educational provision for 14 to 19-year-olds.

Jane Kennedy: A series of discussions has taken place between the two Departments to define the issues in the 14–19 phase of education and, to consider a conjoint approach to future provision.

Energy Contracts

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to introduce provisions to enable the buyout of long-term energy contracts through (a) a bond mechanism, (b) low-cost loans and (c) another mechanism; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: I am fully committed to pursuing and evaluating options and mechanisms for reducing energy costs in Northern Ireland. This process is not solely or specifically focused on buying out long-term contracts and includes a thorough examination of views and proposals on more efficient means of financing energy assets and contracts, many of which are already financed by bond arrangements. I have allocated a high priority to this exercise and my officials are working closely with the Regulator in defining possible mechanisms.

Foetal Health

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many individuals have received compensation in each of the last five years as the result of disability from injuries incurred while in the mother's womb.

Des Browne: I am sorry for the delay in replying.
	The information requested is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Legal Action (Funding)

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on what grounds the Permanent Secretary of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment has been granted public funding to pursue private legal action against the media.

Paul Murphy: Financial assistance is provided to civil servants to pursue legal action against third parties if it is considered to be in the interests of the employing Department that proceedings should be instituted. In this case, financial assistance was provided to uphold the reputation of the Permanent Secretary in the interests of the Department.

Legal Action (Funding)

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many civil servants in each of the past 15 years have been granted public funds to pursue libel actions.

Paul Murphy: Three civil servants have been authorised to receive financial support to pursue libel actions in the past 15 years. Two other civil servants were authorised to receive financial support for preliminary advice in matters relating to their reputations.
	Financial assistance is given to civil servants to pursue legal action against third parties if it is considered to be in the interests of the employing Department that proceedings should be instituted.

Linguistic Diversity

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to whom the draft linguistic diversity policy of the National Museums and Galleries of Northern Ireland has been presented.

Angela Smith: The draft linguistic diversity policy of the National Museums and Galleries of Northern Ireland has not yet been presented to anyone. The policy continues to have draft status at present because the outgoing Board of Trustees did not have an opportunity to approve it before the end of their term of office. However, it is hoped that the new Board will formally adopt the policy shortly, so that it can be widely circulated as part of the full, external consultation exercise required under the Northern Ireland Act 1998, prior to implementation.

Manufacturing Employment

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many jobs were lost in each sector of the manufacturing industry in Strangford in each of the last 10 years; and how much government funding was provided to manufacturing industry in each of the last five years.

Ian Pearson: Information on redundancies is currently only available at either Job Centre Area level or for Northern Ireland as a whole. The Newtownards Job Centre is the only job centre located within Strangford parliamentary constituency (PC). There have been a total of 927 redundancies since 1997 (the earliest year for which disaggregated information is available) in the manufacturing industry. Information on redundancies by sub-sector within manufacturing by year since 1997 is provided in Table 1.
	Over the last five years, the Invest NI legacy organisations (Industrial Development Board, Local Enterprise Development Unit and Industrial Research and Technology Unit specifically) offered assistance of 11.56 million to companies in the manufacturing sector within the Strangford constituency. Details of the assistance offered is set out in Table 2.
	
		Table 1: Total confirmed redundancies in the Newtownards Job Centre area -- 19972003
		
			  Manufacturing sector 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 DA Food products; beverages and tobacco 26 23 38 22 1 25 0 
			 DB Textiles and textile products 142 43 50 498 0 0 0 
			 DH Rubber and plastic products 0 0 0 21 0 0 0 
			 DM Transport equipment 0 0 0 0 14 24 0 
			 D Total manufacturing 168 66 88 541 15 49 0 
		
	
	
		Table 2: Key assistance offered to manufacturing companies in the Strangford constituency for the last 5 years
		
			   million 
		
		
			  
			  
			 199798 2.57 
			 199899 2.99 
			 19992000 1.93 
			 200001 2.19 
			 200102 1.88

Mobile Phone Masts

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the latest available scientific research on the safety of mobile phone masts.

Des Browne: The Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones (IEGMP), chaired by Sir William Stewart, published a report on the subject of mobile phone technology in May 2000. The Group examined the health implications of this technology and carried out an assessment of existing research. It concluded that the balance of evidence indicated that there was no general risk to the health of people living near to base stations on the basis that exposures were expected to be small fractions of the guidelines.
	Recognising, however, that there were gaps in knowledge, the Expert Group recommended further research and as a result a joint government/industry research project, to which my Department is contributing 30,000 over three years, was announced in 2001. The Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research (MTHR) Programme invites research applications both in relation to masts and to mobile phone handsets. Research on the group of projects funded under the first call is now well under way. The names of the projects selected from the second call are expected to be announced in due course and an advert for a third call appeared in appropriate publications in week commencing 16 December.

Nurse Recruitment

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many new nurses have taken up their post in each board area in Northern Ireland over the last two years.

Des Browne: The information requested is detailed in the following tables.
	Figures in the following tables relate to nursing staff (including midwives) in each Health and Social Services Board that have taken up their post in the last two yearsjoiners are defined as those who were not in employment at the start of the year but who were in employment in the NI Health and Personal Social Services at the end of the year.
	
		Nursing joiners between September 2000 and September 2001
		
			 Board Headcount WTE(8) 
		
		
			 Eastern Board 799 708.51 
			 Northern Board 213 177.29 
			 Southern Board 157 136.83 
			 Western Board 177 154.98 
			 Total 1,346 1,177.61 
		
	
	
		Nursing joiners between September 2001 and September 2002
		
			 Board Headcount WTE(8) 
		
		
			 Eastern Board 1,361 1,218.40 
			 Northern Board 201 168.05 
			 Southern Board 214 181.67 
			 Western Board 377 340.70 
			 Total 2,153 1,908.82 
		
	
	(8) Whole-time equivalent

Railway Services

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his plans are for the future of the Whitehead to Larne railway line.

Angela Smith: Further to my answers to Question ref. 82681, Official Report, 25 November 2002, column 24W, and Question ref. 82682, Official Report, 28 January 2003, column 770W, I can confirm that the plans for the retention of services on the Whitehead to Larne railway are set out in the Regional Transportation Strategy for Northern Ireland 200212 (RTS). The intention is to retain services on this line, subject to successful results from the introduction of new trains and improved infrastructure on the core network in the early stages of implementing the RTS. Hence, in the short to medium term services will be retained on the Whitehead to Larne railway line, subject to normal safety procedures. However, no major improvements will be carried out until the assessments referred to above are concluded.

Rohypnol

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the availability of Rohypnol in Northern Ireland; and what mechanisms are in place to ensure that Rohypnol is attained by the public solely for its prescribed purpose.

Des Browne: Rohypnol (Flunitrazepam) is subject to the same legal controls and prescribing restrictions in Northern Ireland as are in force within the rest of the UK. It is a prescription only medicine (POM) which may be only prescribed on private prescription. It is a Schedule 3 drug under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002 and as such prescriptions written for it must comply with both prescription and handwriting requirements under the Regulations.
	Stocks of the product are subject to safe custody requirements. The Misuse of DrugsInspector (NI) is responsible for inspection and monitoring activities and enforcement action where appropriate. Routine and unannounced inspections are carried out on practitioners, pharmacists, trust and private hospitals, pharmaceutical manufacturers and wholesalers, and research and clinical trial establishments to ensure compliance with legislative controls, agreed standard operating procedures, good practice guidelines and safe custody requirements.

Teachers' Pay Review

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if the pay settlement reached in the Review of Salaries for Principals and Vice Principals will be extended to (a) teaching and (b) non-teaching principals.

Jane Kennedy: The independent Inquiry's Interim Report on Principal and Vice-principal Pay applies to all principals in grant-aided schools, irrespective of the teaching duties they carry out.

Trolley Waiting Times

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average trolley waits in Daisy Hill Hospital were in (a) November 2002, (b) December 2002 and (c) January 2003.

Des Browne: There were no trolley waits in Daisy Hill Hospital in (a) November 2002, (b) December 2002 or (c) January 2003.

Trolley Waiting Times

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average trolley wait was in each hospital in Northern Ireland in January.

Des Browne: Trolley wait information is collected by time band. It is therefore not possible to calculate the arithmetic mean length of trolley wait. It is however possible to identify the median or mid point trolley wait.
	The median length of trolley waits by hospital are provided in the table below.
	
		
			  Median hours waiting Total monthly trolley waits 
		
		
			 Altnagelvin Less than 1 7 
			 Antrim 1213 312 
			 Belfast City 89 188 
			 Causeway 1314 152 
			 Craigavon 17+ 421 
			 Down 45 11 
			 Lagan Valley 1112 124 
			 Mater 1314 242 
			 Mid Ulster 89 29 
			 Royal Group 89 107 
			 Sperrin Lakeland 23 29 
			 Ulster 1011 357 
			 Whiteabbey 89 1

Vehicle Fleets

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has issued guidelines to local authorities in Northern Ireland on the introduction of facilities for the provision of (a) retail and fleet liquefied petroleum gas and (b) compressed natural gas.

Angela Smith: No guidelines have been issued to local authorities in Northern Ireland on the introduction of such facilities.
	The Environment (Northern Ireland) Order 2002 enables District Councils to undertake the assessment and management of air quality in Northern Ireland. It requires District Councils to identify areas where air quality standards are not likely to be achieved within specified timeframes. In such areas, relevant authorities can then be required to produce proposals for reduction in the pollution levels. Should pollution from road transport be identified as a significant source in a particular area, government departments, district councils and other public bodies will consider possible reduction measures, including, where relevant, any contribution that might be made by a programme supporting low emission vehicles.

Work Permits

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the term Baltic dancers appeared in the application made in summer 2002 for a group work permit for lap dancers for the Movie Star Caf.

Jane Kennedy: The name of the group stated on the application form was Baltic Dancers.

Work Permits

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions the Department of Employment and Learning had with Work Permits UK on the application made for a group work permit for lap dancers for the Movie Star Caf in summer 2002.

Jane Kennedy: When processing work permit applications for Northern Ireland the Department for Employment and Learning applied the same criteria as used in Work Permits (UK). As no guidelines existed in respect of pole dancers, it was only after querying this aspect with Work Permits (UK) that DEL treated the application in question on the basis of an entertainment application.

Work Placements

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many university students his Department has supported or sponsored with a work placement in the last year; what his policy is on work placements; what plans he has to develop such schemes; and what his policy is on paying their university fees.

Paul Murphy: The Department has supported or sponsored 71 university work placement students during the past year. These cover the areas of Valuation, Statistics, Economics, Architecture, Quantity Surveying, Mechanical Engineering, Media Studies and IT.
	There is no specific policy, however, the numbers employed are decided upon by the specialist business areas and is dependant on available funding.
	There are currently no plans to further develop the schemes.
	The Department employs and pays university students for the period of placement but do not pay or make any contribution to their university fees.

TRANSPORT

A46/A47 Link Road

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the A46-A47 Link Road.

John Spellar: No. As the A46/A47 Link Road is a local road scheme, the responsibility for monitoring its performance rests with the local highway authority, Leicester city council.

Buses

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his strategy is for encouraging greater reliance on bus transport in areas where bus services are deregulated.

David Jamieson: Better partnership between bus operators and local authorities, with co-ordinated investment in infrastructure and new vehicles, is a proven way of growing bus patronage, and is particularly effective where it can relieve congestion. Other local authority policies, for example on parking restraint and park-and-ride schemes, can also encourage greater use of buses. That is why we have established the Bus Forum between the bus operators and local authorities to develop the best framework for this partnership.

New Airport (Rugby)

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the Environment Agency's submissions on the proposed site of a new airport east of Rugby.

David Jamieson: The Environment Agency has engaged in the consultation process and we welcome their input. As I have said previously, we will produce a summary of the responses after the consultation has finished.

Railways

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement about the level of investment in the national railway infrastructure in the last financial year.

David Jamieson: National Rail Trends published quarterly by the Strategic Rail Authority gives details of total investment in the rail industry. For 200102 this stood at 4,070 million. Of this 922 million was in respect of rolling stock. The bulk of the remaining investment spend is in respect of infrastructure.

Road Works Obstructions

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the cost to businesses of the overrunning of road works contracts which obstruct entry to business premises in the last five years.

David Jamieson: Where a highway authority carries out works under a statutory power or duty, and performs those works properly, there is not at law any liability on the authority for loss of business.
	Consequently, no assessment is made of the cost to businesses of the overrunning of road works contracts.
	Nevertheless, the Highways Agency recognises the disruption these works can cause and requires its contractors to complete them as quickly as possible with minimum disruption to businesses. Every effort is made to ensure that its road works do not obstruct entry to business premises or, otherwise, alternative access arrangements are provided.

Cycling Projects Fund

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the Cycling Projects Fund.

David Jamieson: The Cycling Projects Fund supports cycling across England by providing funds for projects that can meet a local need and deliver an increase in cycling. Over 2 million was allocated in the first round and a second bidding round is now in progress, with a further 1million available.

Roads (Eastern Region)

Bob Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to improve road links in the eastern part of the eastern region.

David Jamieson: Schemes currently under construction or programmed to improve access by road to the eastern part of the eastern region include: A47-Thorney bypass, Hardwick flyover, Kings Lynn, and Blofield-North Burlingham dualling; A11-Five Ways to Thetford dualling, Roudham Heath to Attleborough dualling and Attleborough bypass dualling; A14 Haughey New street-Stowmarket improvement and Rookery Crossroads grade separated junction, and A428 Caxton Common to Hardwick dualling. We are carrying out further studies to identify the appropriate way to deal with the A47 Acle Straight and the Highways Agency are looking at ways to improve safety on the Acle Straight and at improvements to roundabouts in Great Yarmouth to increase capacity and improve safety.
	Norfolk county council recently completed the Broome and Ellingham bypass and Suffolk county council are progressing with the south Lowestoft relief road for which funding will be provided once it has passed through all the statutory processes.

Congestion

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment has been made by his Department on the effect of the central London congestion charge on (a) traffic levels, (b) traffic speeds, (c) bus usage, (d) air pollution and (e) road safety; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: We are following the scheme's progress with great interest. However, it is the responsibility of the Mayor and Transport for London (TfL) to monitor the scheme's effects. The first annual report will be published in spring 2003, meanwhile a paper on their proposed monitoring, Impacts Monitoring Programme: Preview of First Annual Report was published on 4 February, and is available on the TfL website at: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/cc monitoring.shtml.

Highways Agency

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what basis the valuation of Highways Agency assets in the National Asset Register was made; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The data used to compile the National Asset Register return was based on the Agency's resource accounts for the year ending 31 March 2000 which were prepared in accordance with the Treasury Resource Accounting Manual.
	The trunk road network was valued at depreciated replacement cost. This was based on internal costing and physical asset records adjusted to current prices and to reflect the condition of the network. The network assets comprise carriageways; earthworks; tunnels and road pavements; roadside communications; bridges and other structures; and land and buildings within the highways perimeter.
	Roads in the course of design or construction were valued at current cost. Most other tangible assets were similarly valued at current cost. IT hardware and office equipment was valued at historic cost.

Hospitality Budget

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's hospitality budget (a) is in 200203 and (b) was in each of the last three years; and how much was left unspent at the end of each financial year.

David Jamieson: The Department does not have a dedicated hospitality budget.

Light Rapid Transit Project

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on progress of the Light Rapid Transit project for Fareham-Gosport-Portsmouth.

David Jamieson: We approved this scheme for funding in March 2001. The new light rail line will bring considerable benefits to the residents of Fareham, Gosport and Portsmouth. It will help to reduce congestion by providing a realistic alternative to the car. I understand that the promoters are currently assessing bids from two consortia to build the scheme.

Maritime Oil Cargo

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent measures he has taken with his European colleagues to improve the safety of transport of oil cargo in European waters.

David Jamieson: A number of measures designed to improve the safety of the transport of oil by sea were agreed at the European Transport Council on 6 December 2002. The Council set out 20 conclusions, endorsed a week later at Head of Government level, which requested action at member state level, collectively at EU level, and by member states at the international level. The range of activity is ambitiousfrom ship design through better enforcement of existing safety rules to better arrangements for intervention, salvage and clean-up.

Maritime Pollution

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made since 1997 in reducing pollution in UK waters; what proposals he has to further reduce these levels; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: My Department has taken a number of proactive measures since 1997 with a view to reducing pollution in UK waters. Among these measures, the following are particularly worthy of note:
	in 1997 we were the first country to introduce a statutory requirement on ports to prepare a port waste management plan to address the waste disposal needs of all types of ships calling.
	in 1997, we introduced legislation which enables magistrates to impose a fine of up to 250,000 on either the master or ship owner for an oil pollution offence. This is the highest fine for any offence in a magistrates court.
	we have played a leading role in launching the 1997 Quality Shipping Campaign, which tackles the problem of substandard shipping and marine pollution by addressing the role of owners and flag states in fulfilling their responsibilities under relevant international conventions.
	in 1999 we introduced the role of Secretary of State's Representative for Maritime Salvage and Intervention (commonly know as SOSREP), who has the power to oversee, control and, if necessary, intervene in salvage operations within UK waters involving vessels or fixed platforms where there is a significant risk of pollution. The SOSREP role has proved very successful, as well as being an international first for the UK.
	in 1999 we increased the number of government-funded Emergency Towing Vessels (ETVs) around the UK coast to four (located in the Dover Strait, the Minch, the South West approaches and in the Fair Isle), and in October 2001 we extended their period of operation so that all four operate all year round.
	in 2000, we published the revised National Contingency Plan for Marine Pollution from Shipping and Offshore Installations, setting out how the relevant agencies and authorities in the UK will respond to such pollution incidents.
	As regards further measures, the Government are now in the final stages of the identification of Marine Environmental High Risk Areas (MEHRAs), which will further assist in the protection of our seas and coasts. We are working on a consultation document which will announce the locations of the MEHRAs and seek comments on a range of issues associated with MEHRAs. We expect to issue the document for public consultation shortly.
	My Department's Maritime and Coastguard Agency annually commissions a report to compile statistics and other information on the different types of marine pollution in the waters around the British Isles. Since 1965 this work has been completed by the Advisory Committee on Protection of the Sea (ACOPS), and in 2000 the ACOPS Report was revised and now provides data on the number of incidents, the type of incident by pollutant, the source of the pollutant and the geographical distribution of the reported incidents. The key figures from the ACOPS Reports since 1997 on chemical, oil, diesel spillages in UK waters are as follows.
	
		
			  2001 2000 
		
		
			 Number of pollution incidents 678 743 
			 Incidents where source could be identified (Percentage) 87 88 
			 Incidents from offshore oil and gas installations (Number) 419 456 
			 Mineral oils (Percentage) 95.5 95 
			 Chemicals (Percentage) 1.3 0.7 
			 Garbage (Percentage) 0.4 0.5 
			 Vegetable/animal oils (Percentage) 0.3 0.4 
			 Other substances (Percentage) 2.4 3 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of pollution incidents Incidents where source could be identified Incidents from offshore oil and gas installations Incidents where an estimate of the quantity of oil was reported Incidents where 100 gallons or more were spilled 
		
		
			 2001 678 614 419 544 67 
			 2000 743 627 456 543 77 
			 1999 747 748 382 541 69 
			 1998 801 609 359 613 87 
			 1997 723 578 351 553 100

NATS

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what measures he is taking to address the shortcomings in the provision of safety information by NATS to general aviation; and what assessment his Department has made of the risk posed by flying without access to safety information;
	(2)  what recent discussions his Department has had with NATS and the CAA concerning the provision of safety information by NATS to general aviation;
	(3)  what recent representations he has received on the provision of safety information by NATS to general aviation; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The Government's statutory aviation safety adviser, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), has assured me that there are no shortcomings in the provision of Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) information. The new version of the NOTAM handling system launched last August by National Air Traffic Services Ltd. (NATS) did have teething problems, but the CAA is satisfied that aviation safety has not been compromised and it has been possible to obtain the required data during this period.
	My officials have been in regular contact since last September with the CAA and NATS to discuss the resolution of the outstanding difficulties with the NOTAM system. Many of these difficulties have been resolved by the system improvements made since its introduction last August and which have concentrated on making it more user friendly. Furthermore, a number of meetings have taken place between CAA and NATS officials and representatives of the user community to address these concerns.
	NATS is scheduled to introduce a further revision of the NOTAM system in April 2003 designed to overcome the outstanding difficulties the General Aviation community is having with it. Officials from my Department and the CAA are monitoring the progress of this work and will continue to scrutinise the performance of the system after the changes have been made.

Rail Services

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many trains travelling from Worcester to Hereford have been prematurely terminated at (a) Malvern and (b) Ledbury stations in the past six months; what percentage of total journeys from Worcester to Hereford this represents; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: During the period from 18 August 2002 to 1 February 2003, 1,854 trains were timetabled to travel between Worcester and Hereford of which 1,818 arrived at Hereford. This means that 36 trains or 1.94 per cent. of the timetabled services failed to complete their journeys in full.

Rail Services

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to ensure sufficient passenger capacity on cross country trains.

David Jamieson: All train operators have an obligation to avoid excessive overcrowding on the services they provide, and they must agree a plan with the Strategic Rail Authority detailing how they will match capacity to demand. The authority have recently announced a number of timetable revisions agreed with Virgin Cross Country to be made from May and September which are aimed at improving performance and relieving congestion. In the longer-term the authority's Capacity Utilisation Policy will determine the most efficient use of the network.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Communications Bill

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received on the impact on employment in regional newspapers of the provisions of the Communications Bill.

Melanie Johnson: I have been asked to reply.
	A number of representations relating to the newspaper merger provisions of the Communications Bill have been received. None of these has focused on any impact of these provisions on jobs in regional newspapers.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Domestic Violence

Ben Chapman: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will make a statement on the role of the Crown Prosecution Service in domestic violence cases.

Harriet Harman: The role of the Crown Prosecution Service is to review and prosecute cases of domestic violence in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors and CPS policy. The revised policy, launched in November 2001, focuses on victims' priorities of safety, support and information and promotes the immediate and long-term safety of the victim and any children, while holding abusers accountable for their actions. This is achieved by promoting close working relationships between the Crown Prosecution Service, the police and the voluntary sector, to ensure that decisions are properly informed and victims are properly supported. The revised policy also emphasises the need to construct cases, wherever possible, on the basis of evidence other than that of the victim. To underpin CPS policy, each CPS area has a domestic violence coordinator.
	Her Majesty's Inspectorate of the Crown Prosecution Service and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary are currently preparing to undertake a joint thematic review of the investigation and prosecution of cases involving domestic violence, which will be concluded later this year.

Serious Fraud Office

David Laws: To ask the Solicitor General how many staff worked for the Serious Fraud Office in each year from 198889 to 200304 (planned); and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: The following table provides all the relevant Serious Fraud Office statistics in relation to numbers of staff employed by the SFO from its inception in April 1988 to 200304 (planned). 
	
		
			 Financial Year Number of Permanent Staff Employed 
		
		
			 198889 63 
			 198990 Figure unavailable 
			 199091 103 
			 199192 117 
			 199293 136 
			 199394 138 
			 199495 137 
			 199596 162 
			 199697 166 
			 199798 154 
			 199899 149 
			 19992000 170 
			 200001 178 
			 2001002 233 
			 200203 231 
			 200304 (planned) 240 
		
	
	Staffing levels at the Serious Fraud Office have steadily increased over the last four years. This has been necessary in order to accept a higher caseload and to compensate, in part for the reduction in the number of police officers made available to the SFO. The SFO continues to be an important tool in the fight against white-collar crime and its dedicated and professional staff play a fundamental role in the fight against fraud.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Car Parking

David Laws: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission what estimate he has made of the revenue forgone in each of the last five years from providing free parking for hon. Members and senior staff at the House; and if he will make a statement.

Archy Kirkwood: The House has never had a policy of charging for use of the car park, which is provided for security reasons as well as for the convenience of Members and staff. No estimate of revenue foregone has therefore been made.

Public Expenditure

David Laws: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission what total public spending on the House of Commons was in each year from 199293 to 200304 (planned), broken down by (a) hon. Members' salaries and allowances, (b) other staff costs, (c) building costs and (d) other costs; and if he will make a statement.

Archy Kirkwood: The amounts of cash spent, or estimated to be spent, in each year are as follows:
	
		Expenditure from 199293 to 200304
		
			  199293 199394 199495 199596 199697 199798 199899 19992000 200001 
		
		
			 Members' pay and allowances 67,038 68,502 69,469 72,128 81,766 95,819 86,175 91,495 94,417 
			 House staff costs 26,180 30,519 31,056 31,949 33,795 34,951 37,483 39,928 40,943 
			 Accommodation 19,745 21,248 25,934 27,802 29,111 33,620 34,609 35,656 38,844 
			 Portcullis House 3,367 7,662 6,292 15,104 30,002 35,958 54,893 44,769 38,557 
			 Other 37,307 36,733 36,364 38,986 37,284 40,699 46,565 44,598 41,653 
			  153,637 164,664 169,115 185,969 211,958 241,047 259,725 256,446 254,414 
		
	
	
		Expenditure from 199293 to 200304
		
			  200102 200203 Forecast 200304 Planned 
		
		
			  
			 Members' pay and allowances 116,567 131,000 143,607 
			 House staff costs 43,000 47,820 46,907 
			 Accommodation 41,558 44,345 35,708 
			 Portcullis House 6,686 2,657  
			 Other 41,264 48,790 58,215 
			  249,075 274,612 284,437 
		
	
	Notes:
	The Members' costs shown include financial assistance to opposition parties (Short money) and the regular payments to the Members' Fund;
	Staff costs include pensions paid in-year;
	Accommodation includes new works, maintenance, rent rates and utilities; and
	The figures in 200102 show the cash spent in the year. This was the first year of resource accounting and the figures in the audited accounts are now presented on a resource basis
	The House of Commons Commission is not responsible for the pay and allowances of hon. Members. However, to assist the hon. Member for Yeovil I have included figures already on the public record.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions her Department has had with his US counterparts on the reconstruction of Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Clare Short: Both my officials and I regularly meet with other donors to discuss a variety of issues, including the reconstruction of Afghanistan. I have discussed these issues with US counterparts on a number of occasions.

Afghanistan

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate her Department has made of the number of Afghans who suffered hunger-related deaths in 2001.

Clare Short: Neither DFID nor the UN agencies WHO or FAO have made an estimate of these figures. Malnutrition increases the propensity to catch other illnesses but is very hard to isolate as the direct cause of death in Afghanistan, where there is food insecurity but no famine.
	The WFP estimates that in 2003 approximately 4.3 million people in rural settled areas will not be able to meet basic food needs. The WHO estimates that acute malnutrition in children is aroung 10 per cent. and chronic malnutrition is approximately 50 per cent. 20 per cent. of children are born with a low birth weight.
	UN agencies are co-ordinating a response that provides food aid to the most vulnerable sections of society, including returning refugees and people in isolated, rural areas. WFP have put forward a strategy for 2003 that aims to provide food assistance to over 9 million people over two years. WFP's food aid is in the form of wheat fortifield with nutritional supplements to halp combat the problems of malnutrition.

HIV/AIDS

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what financial resources have been allocated to HIV/AIDS projects in each year since 1992.

Clare Short: DFID bilateral commitments to HIV/AIDS since 1991/92 are as follows:
	
		HIV/AIDS bilateral commitments by year
		
			  (million) 
		
		
			 1991/92 6.9 
			 1992/93 10.1 
			 1993/94 37.4 
			 1994/95 78.2 
			 1995/96 57.1 
			 1996/97 53.6 
			 1997/98 106.4 
			 1998/99 154.8 
			 1999/00 231.1 
			 2000/01 362.6 
			 2001/02 436.4

HIV/AIDS

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment her Department has made of the impact of HIV/AIDS on the economic development of (a) Swaziland, (b) Malawi, (c) South Africa, (d) Tanzania, (e) Ethiopia, (f) Kenya and (g) Botswana.

Clare Short: HIV/AIDS is having a catastrophic impact on sub-Saharan Africa undermining and even reversing gains made in economic and social development over the last two decades. Current estimates suggest that HIV/AIDS has reduced the growth of Africa's per capita income by 0.7 percentage points a year.
	In South Africa, DFID is co-funding research into the economic impact of HIV/AIDS (with USAID and AUSAID), looking at the effects on labour supply, agriculture, on the education and health sectors, and at the household level. Research is also being done on developing methodologies for the analysis of the impact of HIV/AIDS on economic sectors, which will have broader application across Africa. In Kenya and Malawi, DFID are shortly about to undertake similar impact assessments.
	Elsewhere in Africa, economic impact assessments are being undertaken by a number of agencies, the findings of which are enabling DFID to develop their cross-sector strategy to combat HIV/AIDS and support country governments in mainstreaming HIV/AIDS responses.
	(a) In Swaziland, UNAIDS estimate that maize production has been reduced by 54.2 per cent. as a result of AIDS deaths among households.
	(b) In Malawi, HIV/AIDS is estimated to depress economic growth by 1.5 to 2 per cent. annually. Human capital is being continually drained with 8 to 10 per cent. of teachers lost every year to AIDS, faster than can be trained.
	(c) HIV/AIDS is impacting negatively on South Africa's international competitiveness, with domestic and foreign investment being deterred because of the high HIV prevalence rates.
	(d) The World bank estimated that in Tanzania, GDP will be 15 to 20 per cent. smaller than in a non-AIDS scenario in 2010 because of the impact of disease on physical, human, and social capital accumulation.
	(e) Ethiopia is a predominantly agricultural based economy, and HIV/AIDS is impacting heavily on rural populations. Families with an infected family member spend 14 hours a week working their land compared with the average of 34 hours, bringing agricultural productivity down considerably.
	(f) In Kenya, GDP is projected to decline by 14.5 per cent. by 2005, while per capita income would decline by 10 per cent. due to AIDS.
	(g) In Botswana, the epidemic will be responsible for an 8 to 10 per cent. decrease in per capita income over the next ten years and households in poverty will increase by 68 per cent. in the next 10 years.

HIV/AIDS

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which HIV/AIDS education programmes her Department is supporting, broken down by continent.

Clare Short: My Department is working with development partners to ensure that HIV is mainstreamed throughout education systems, plans and interventions in all African countries and elsewhere where we are providing education support. Support to education is critical to ensure that Education for All is achieved and that school children in Africa are properly equipped with the skills and knowledge with which to protect themselves from the epidemic. This includes working directly with Ministries of Education to ensure that school curricula address HIV and AIDS in a manner that is gender-sensitive and relevant to students.
	We are also making progress by piloting targeted school-based HIV prevention programmesthe Nigeria Extended Life Planning Education Project is one such initiative.
	DFID is also supporting innovative edutainment programmes in Southern Africa, using multiple media such as radio drama, pamphlets and cartoon books to communicate about HIV prevention. For example, we are supporting a regional initiative to provide materials on HIV/AIDS to all 12 to 16-year-olds in Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland.
	Other HIV education programmes supported by my Department include:
	Africa
	Educational support to HIV/AIDSRwanda:
	HIV/AIDS Community Prevention and anti-AIDS project educational materialSouth Africa:
	Supporting the needs of young peopleSouth Africa:
	Capacity building for HIV/AIDS EducationAfrica regional:
	Africa Alive HIV/AIDS education messages to young peopleAfrica regional.
	Asia
	Reproductive Health Education and HIV/AIDS educationKyrgyzstan:
	HIV/AIDS Education Project for young peopleChina.
	Eastern Europe
	United Nations Fund for International Partnerships.
	Pacific
	VSO HIV/AIDS personal and social education for Kiribati youth.

Humanitarian Contingency Planning

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what contingency plans have been made to assist the civilians of Iraq in (a) water supplies, (b) food and (c) medical treatment after military conflict.

Clare Short: Operational humanitarian organisations have made a range of contingency plans to assist civilians with water food and medical treatment in the event of conflict in Iraq. My Department is in close contact with several such organisations, including Un agencies, the Red Cross/Crescent and NGOs. We also discuss regularly with the armed forces the importance of minimising the extent of civilian suffering, and the limited humanitarian assistance the military could provide during any period before UN agencies/NGOs were operational.

Iraq

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what measures her Department will take to support the Iraqi ration distribution system in the event of military intervention in Iraq.

Clare Short: The continuation of the oil-for-food programme would be a very high priority in the event of any conflict in Iraq. Measures necessary to ensure this are being actively discussed.

Iraq

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department will take to aid the re-establishment of links between families in the aftermath of possible war in Iraq.

Clare Short: Following any possible conflict in Iraq, I would expect as elsewhere that the International Committee of the Red Cross, and those UN agencies and NGOs experienced in tracing and family reunification, would take the lead in helping affected families. My Department regularly funds such organisations.

Iraq

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the number of people who will be displaced within Iraq in the event of conflict.

Clare Short: UN agencies and others have made a range of estimates of possible displaced people, which vary widely. The number of people who might leave their houses or try to cross borders would depend on what they are moving from. An essential part of our work has been to try to refine the military options to minimise the humanitarian risk which would lead to large scale movements of people.

Kosovo

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made in Kosovo of (a) health services and indications and (b) education services.

Clare Short: Kosovo's health indicators are amongst the worst in Europe, following years of neglect to health services, the exclusion of the majority Albanian population from formal healthcare under the Milosevic regime, and serious damage to facilities during the 1999 conflict.
	Since 1999, the international community has invested Euro92 million in the reconstruction of Kosovo's health care facilities. The UN administration has established a basic framework for the delivery of health services. This responsibility has now been transferred to Ministry of Health of the elected Provisional Institutions of Self Government.
	My department has invested heavily in the improvement of Kosovo's health services, providing extensive emergency assistance during the immediate post-conflict phase, and a subsequent Euro11 million as technical assistance and infrastructure development. We now plan to launch a Euro1.6 million programme to boost the capacity of the Ministry of Health to meet these challenges. In addition, we have contributed approximately Euro7.8 million through the European Commission's health programmes since 1999.
	Education services were similarly disrupted during the Milosevic years and the eventual conflict. There is some evidence that access to education has improved markedly since the conflict ended, with the total number of children attending school rising by 42 per cent. since 1998, and the total number of university students rising by 19 per cent. My department does not provide direct support for education services in Kosovo, as this sector is already well provided for by other donors, including the World Bank and the Canadian and German governments.

Liberia

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment her Department has made of the humanitarian situation in the refugee camps in Montserrado county in Liberia.

Clare Short: Our information on the humanitarian situation in Liberia is from reporting by the UN and other agencies such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).
	There are six camps in Montserrado county. Health and other services in three camps are supported by MSF Belgium, and in one each by MSF France, ICRC and World Vision. Another camp is being established by a Liberian NGO. We understand that the general condition of those civilians displaced and those living in camps, as well as the resident population, is poor but as yet not critical.
	We have recently committed 450,000 to MSF Belgium for primary health care and 550,000 to ICRC for humanitarian programmes in Liberia.

Liberia

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate she has made of the number of Liberians who have fled into Sierra Leone following the upsurge of hostilities between Liberian Government forces and Liberian rebels; and what financial allocation has been made for the provision of shelter for Liberian refugees in Sierra Leone.

Clare Short: UNHCR estimates that, since the most recent outbreak of fighting in mid-February, 7,000 refugees have crossed into Sierra Leone.
	We recently committed 1.4 million for humanitarian assistance in Sierra Leone. 900,000 of this has been earmarked directly for assistance to Liberian refugees. 500,000 will provide emergency assistance, care and maintenance through UNHCR; and 400,000 will contribute to a UNICEF programme to control vaccine preventable diseases among refugees and the civilian population, in the east and north of Sierra Leone.

Meningitis Vaccine

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate the World Health Organisation has made of the number of doses of meningitis vaccine required and how many have been distributed in (a) Burkina Faso and (b) the Central African Republic.

Clare Short: The information is as follows: a) Burkina Faso:
	In the epidemic season 200102 there was a global shortage of tetravalent vaccine. In Burkina Faso, there were 13,000 cases, with 1,500 deaths. The target population for a mass vaccination campaign is an estimated 3.5 million people. The national authorities made no formal request for vaccines. The World Health Organisation (WHO) provided 25,000 doses of tetravalent (corresponding to a donation from Aventis) which were used to protect health workers.
	So far in the epidemic season 200203, there has been 3,000 reported cases including 400 deaths. The national authorities have requested 1.4 million doses of the new GSK trivalent vaccine. WHO is in partnership with GSK to ensure widest use of this vaccine and are currently looking for funds from donors including the Gates Foundation. 500,000 doses have been sent so far with 1 million extra doses ready to be shipped.
	b) Central African Republic (CAR):
	The political situation in CAR is unstable and consequently it is difficult to collect reliable data. Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) reported 60 cases in Bangassou and 20 cases in Mobaye between October and December 2002. CAR authorities requested 10,000 doses of tetravalent vaccine but due to the epidemiological figures and the absence of reliable lab data, no vaccination campaign has been implemented.

Mine Clearance

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was spent on (a) humanitarian mine clearance, (b) commercial mine clearance (c) military initiatives, (d) mine awareness, (e) victim assistance and (f) research and development for mine clearance in 2002.

Clare Short: The information is as follows:
	(a) DFID estimates that it will spend approximately 9 million on Humanitarian Mine Clearance in 200203. This figures also includes some integrated mine awareness activities. As programmes are often integrated separate costs of awareness are not available.
	(b) DFID has not funded commercial mine clearance. There are no records of UK commercial demining activities currently available in Department of Trade and Industry.
	(c) Military mine clearance has taken place in the Balkans since 1992. This is not funded by DFID. UK military advisers have been attached to UN Mine Action Centres assisting in the development of mine action programmes. They have also supervised the mine clearance carried out by the Entity Armed Forces and provided mine awareness to local populations. The Mine Information Training Centre (MITC) has provided mine awareness training to over 30,000 people. The MOD has also continued to monitor minefields in the Falkland Islands. This work is part of the wider responsibilities of those involved and is impossible to cost accurately.
	(d) DFID has contributed 300,000 to UNICEF for specific mine awareness activities.
	(e) Assistance to landmine victims is additional to our mine programme. Mine victims benefit from our mainstream health and population and social development programmes, as well as specific humanitarian programmes assisting the disabled. It is not possible to disaggregate expenditure figures for landmine victims.
	(f) DFID estimates that it will spend 1,400,000 on research and development in 200203 in connection with Humanitarian Mine Action.

Mine Clearance

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what organisations the Government gave money for mine clearance in 200203; and how much was given in each case.

Clare Short: The following table gives the figures for the Department of International Development:
	
		
		
			 Organisation Estimated final Outturn 200203 
		
		
			 The HALO Trust (bilateral) 325,000 
			 Mines Advisory Group (MAG) (bilateral) 660,000 
			 United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) 5,300,000 
			 UNICEF (Mines Awareness) 300,000 
			 Organisation of American States (Nicaragua demining) 378,000 
			 QINETIQ (Tech Advice and Testing) 200,000 
			 UNDP 2,500,000 
			 Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) 1,000,000 
			 Landmine Monitor 137,000 
			 DISARMCO (Research and Development) 10,000 
			 ERA (Research and Development) 117,000 
			 SERCO (Research and Development) 30,000 
			 BARIC Consultants (Technical Advice) 100,000 
			 Total 11,057,000

Mine Clearance

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the expenditure was on humanitarian mine clearance in each year since 1997, broken down by country.

Clare Short: For details relating to the period 1997 to 2000, I refer the hon. Member to the Answer I gave her on 29 March 2001 (Official Report, column 721W). The figures for 2000 to 2003 are given in the table below:
	
		
			 Country 200001 () 200102 () 200203( estimated) 
		
		
			 Afghanistan  3,150,000 1,800,000 
			 Albania 369,648   
			 Chad 369,648   
			 Croatia 150,000   
			 Eritrea 544,151 694,540  
			 Guinea Bissau 120,000   
			 Lebanon 387,296   
			 Nicaragua 283,000 189,000 378,000 
			 Cambodia 1,430,571 1,000,000 500,000 
			 Northern Iraq 616,100 500,000 500,000 
			 Jordan 270,000 197,402  
			 Laos 616,689 300,000  
			 Georgia 438,616 500,000 325,000 
			 Kosovo 8,700,000 2,000,000  
			 Thailand 300,000   
			 Bosnia  500,000  
			 Croatia  326,529  
		
	
	The balance of the DFID spend on Humanitarian Mine Action is via the UN and not ring fenced for specific countries.

Occupied Territories

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the estimated amount of food aid in the Occupied Territories is; and how much has been distributed.

Clare Short: Food aid is provided by a range of donors in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Comprehensive figures are not available. The largest provider, UNRWA, disbursed food to the value of US$21 million in 2002, and plans further support of US$32million in the first six months of 2003. The World Food Programme, the International Committee of the Red Cross and a range of NGOs provide complimentary support to the non-refugee population. Food aid is however only one of a range of instruments used to meet the urgent needs of the Palestinian people. Other instruments, such as budget support and employment generation, have contributed significantly in easing the growing humanitarian situation and have the added benefit of stimulating the local economy.

Occupied Territories

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the impact of a war against Iraq on the routes of humanitarian aid to the Occupied Territories; and what steps she will take to guarantee humanitarian aid routes to the Occupied Territories.

Clare Short: The most likely major impact, in the event of a war in Iraq, would be a complete closure by Israel of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, severely restricting travel between and within the Occupied Territories. The international community has made it clear that Israel must allow humanitarian operations to continue without impediment, including the safe passage of humanitarian staff and supplies. Lessons learned from the 1991 Gulf War and from the intense military activity of Israel's 'Operation Defensive Shield' in 2002 will help international and local organisations cope more effectively should this happen.

Palestinian Authority Area (Living Conditions)

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action she is taking to help those living in the Palestinian Authority area to (a) secure employment, (b) access healthcare provision and (c) improve opportunities for improving literacy and numeracy; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: We are working, in close cooperation with our international and Palestinian partners, to support a range of initiatives to help ease the humanitarian situation in the West Bank and Gaza. We have supported the World Bank's employment generation project and a wide range of healthcare and education programmes. Our contributions to the World Bank's Emergency Services Support Programme help the Palestinian Ministries of Health and Education to continue to deliver services despite the economic and social decline. And our support for UNRWA delivers vital health and education services to the Palestinian refugee population.

Police Training

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what consultation takes place with (a) the OSCE, (b) the United Kingdom's mission to the OSCE, (c) other regional international agencies and (d) the United Kingdom's missions to other regional international agencies prior to the commissioning or making of grants, in relation to police training and civil society building in the area of the OSCE; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: The UK Government-supported project concerned with community based policing and community safety in Serbia has been designed in collaboration with the OSCE. Consultation was also carried out with theSerbian Government and other interested bodies such as the EC and the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights. Close links will be maintained with all interested parties in the course of project implementation.

World Food Programme Supplies

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the Israeli Defence Force's activities on World Food Programme supplies.

Clare Short: Over the last two years there have been significant disruptions of the delivery schedule of food aid by the World Food Programme (WFP), and other providers such as UNRWA, due to Israeli military actions and movement restrictions. Food consignments have been held in Israeli ports for considerable periods, and in November 2002 the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) destroyed a WFP warehouse in Gaza. 540 tonnes of food supplies were destroyed. High level representation by the international community has led to Israel's agreement to reimburse WFP's losses as a 'humanitarian gesture'.

Written Questions

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many named day written questions were tabled to the Department between 15 October 2002 and 24 February 2003; how many that received a holding answer were given a substantive answer (a) within three days, (b) within seven days, (c) within 14 days, (d) within 28 days and (e) over 28 days later; and what procedures the Department has in place to monitor performance on answering (i) Parliamentary Questions and (ii) ministerial letters.

Clare Short: Between 15 October 2002 and 24 February 2003, 119 named day written questions were tabled to my Department.
	For those that received a holding answer substantive replies were given as follows:
	(a) 9 were given within three days,
	(b) 1 within seven days,
	(c) 2 within fourteen days,
	(d) 4 within 28 days and
	(e) 1 over twenty eight days.
	The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on performance of departments in replying to Ministerial correspondence. The Report for 2001 was published on Friday 24 May 2002, column 674W. The Report for 2002 will be published in due course.

Zimbabwe

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on foot and mouth disease in Zimbabwe and assistance from the UK in supplying vaccines.

Clare Short: The foot and mouth disease outbreak in Zimbabwe is another problem directly attributable to the lack of law and order and mismanagement of a poorly conceived land reform programme. Fences around wildlife reserves have been destroyed, and domestic cattle allowed to mingle with wild buffalo that carry the disease.
	The problem cannot be fully solved until the fences are restored and the movement of indigenous cattle regulated effectively. In the meantime, the FAO have imported 340,000 doses of vaccine, which are being used in the worst affected areas. This contribution was funded by the Dutch Government. Although more vaccine will be needed, my Department has prioritised support for the humanitarian crisis affecting 7.2 million Zimbabweans, and work to prevent and mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS.

SCOTLAND

Departmental Annual Report

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much producing her Department's latest annual report cost; how many copies were printed; how many copies of it were sold at its cover price; to whom copies of the report have been provided free of charge; and how many copies were provided free of charge.

Helen Liddell: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 27 February 2003, Official Report, column 657W.

Gaelic Language

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many Gaelic speakers there are in Scotland; and what proportion this is of the Scottish population.

Helen Liddell: Census figures for 2001 show 58,652 people aged three and over able to speak Gaelic, which is just over one per cent. of the Scottish population.

Gaelic Language

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans her Department has to protect and promote the Gaelic language, with specific regard to broadcasting; and if she will make a statement.

Helen Liddell: The Government recognise that Gaelic is an essential part of the UK's cultural identity and heritage. On 27 March 2001, we ratified the European Charter on Regional and Minority Languages, making clear our commitment to the support and development of the Gaelic language. We set out our plans for Gaelic broadcasting in the Communications Bill, published on 7 May 2002. We believe our proposals will put Gaelic broadcasting on a more stable footing and will result in a better co-ordinated service for the benefit of the Gaelic television audience.
	In addition, colleagues in the Scottish Executive have established the Gaelic Development Agency (Bord Gidhlig na h-Alba), which will have responsibility for co-ordinating and funding activities of the various Gaelic organisations.

Gaelic Language

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much money the Government are giving to support the Gaelic language in Scotland in the areas of (a) education and (b) cultural organisations in 200203.

Helen Liddell: Expenditure on these matters is for the Scottish Executive. For the current financial year, Scottish Ministers have allocated 3.334 million to Gaelic medium education, 1.6 million through the Gaelic Organisation Fund for cultural organisations and 8.5 million for Gaelic broadcasting.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Sure Start

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the Sure Start programmes in operation, and their budget.

Maria Eagle: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.

Sure Start

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list Sure Start programmes which have ceased operating.

Maria Eagle: No Sure Start programmes have ceased operating.

A-Levels

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer to question 97151, what his assessment is of the interrelation of the finding in Mike Tomlinson's final report into A level standards that criterion-referencing has significant implications for the design of the A level framework with proposed changes to the 1419 curriculum, as outlined in the Excellence for All White Paper.

David Miliband: As recommended by the final report of the inquiry into A level Standards, the QCA is establishing an independent committee to advise publicly on whether or not standards are being maintained. The 1419 Working Group, chaired by Mike Tomlinson, will be considering how best to ensure that reformed 1419 learning programmes reflect the need to maintain standards over time.

Assisted Places

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of (a) the number and (b) the percentage of undergraduate students at UK universities who had been recipients of assisted places in independent schools.

Margaret Hodge: The information is not held centrally. Figures published by the Universities and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS) show the number of students accepted for entry to higher education who came from independent schools, but do not indicate whether or not they had received an assisted place

Classrooms (Yeovil)

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether (a) Westfield Secondary School and (b) Grass Royal Junior School in Yeovil will be required under the departmental school net capacity formula to have three classrooms removed; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The net capacity is intended to provide a single, robust and consistent method of assessing the number of pupil places available in schools.
	By comparison with the number of pupils on roll, the net capacity can indicate the number of places that are surplus or additional places that are needed. It is for individual authorities to determine how best to balance the supply of places in their area to ensure that schools serve the needs of their local communities and provide good quality education in the most effective way. The Department does not require authorities to remove capacity where there is a surplus.

Exam Results

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what impact his federation of schools proposal will have on the availability and publication of each school's exam results.

David Miliband: Exam results for schools in federations will continue to be published for individual schools as at present. In addition, we will also publish results for federations.

Higher Education Funding

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was spent on higher education in England, in real terms at 200001 prices, in each year from 198990 to 200304 (planned), (a) in total, and (b) per student; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Clarke: The data are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Publicly planned funding for higher education in England (m)(9) Unit funding ()(10) 
		
		
			 198990 4,380 7,720 
			 199091 4,370 7,030 
			 199192 4,640 6,680 
			 199293 4,860 6,190 
			 199394 5,120 5,850 
			 199495 5,370 5,690 
			 199596 5,400 5,440 
			 199697 5,140 5,080 
			 199798 5,040 4,930 
			 199899 5,080 4,930 
			 19992000 5,290 4,920 
			 200001 5,410 4,860 
			 200102 5,680 4,900 
			 200203 5,800 4,930 
			 200304 6,100 5,080 
		
	
	(9) Rounded to nearest 10 million.
	(10) Rounded to nearest 10.
	The unit of funding fell by 36 per cent. in real terms between 198990 and 199798. As a result of the 2002 Spending Review, publicly planned funding will rise by 16 per cent. in real terms by 200506 compared to 200203; and the unit funding will rise by 7 per cent. in real terms between those years.

Learndirect

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his policy is on Learndirect selling its products free of charge; and what assessment he has made of the impact of this on competition.

Ivan Lewis: Ufi Ltd. was established by the Government as a private company limited by guarantee. It is funded through a combination of public funds and commercial earned income. The public funds are allocated and used to enable Ufi/learndirect to provide education and training programmes as part of the wider public service of further education and adult learning. They include adult literacy and numeracy programmes offered as part of the Skills for Life initiative. For these programmes Ufi/learndirect hubs and learning centres receive funding through the Learning and Skills Council. In addition Ufi/learndirect offers a range of other programmes with fees charged on a commercial basis for employers and learners who wish to buy them. These programmes are primarily oriented towards workforce development.

Local Authority Spending

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list for each local education authority in England and Wales, for each year since 1997, their (a) total spending, (b) spending per pupil and (c) spending per pupil at (i) nursery, (ii) primary and (iii) secondary stages of education.

David Miliband: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.

Playing Field Sales

Nick Hawkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to prevent the sale of school playing fields provided for under-eights; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: holding answer 3 March 2003
	Before October 1998, there was nothing to prevent a local authority selling a school playing field if it wanted to. Section 77 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 was introduced in October 1998 to protect school playing fields from indiscriminate disposal. Section 77 requires local authorities and schools to obtain the written consent of the Secretary of State before disposing, or changing the use, of school playing fields and applies to all maintained schools, irrespective of pupils' ages. In addition, the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999 prescribe minimum areas of team game playing fields for those schools with pupils who have attained the age of eight years. Although the regulations do not require team game playing fields to be provided for pupils under eight years, section 77 protects all areas of playing fields which have been provided, whether in response to regulatory requirements or otherwise.
	Applications to dispose, or change the use, of school playing fields are assessed against the following criteria:
	(a) schools' needs: that playing field provision and curriculum requirements at the school making the disposalirrespective of the age of those pupils that attend the school, and at the statutory needs of other schools in the local area, will be met;
	(b) community needs: that community use of a school's playing fields is taken into account, with alternative facilities made available if necessary; and
	(c) finance: that any sale proceeds are re-invested to provide new or improved sports facilities at schools, or are used to help to raise standards by providing better educational facilities.
	Only those applications that meet the criteria are approved. All applications made since July 2001 have been scrutinised by the independent School Playing Fields Advisory Panel to make sure that they conform to the published criteria. The Panel comprises representatives from the National Playing Fields Association, the Central Council of Physical Recreation, the education organisation: Learning Through Landscapes, the National Association of Head Teachers and the Local Government Association.

Pupil Deprivation

Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what factors are taken into consideration in assessing deprivation in pupils.

David Miliband: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Tamworth (Mr. Jenkins) on 11 February 2003, Official Report, column 692W.

School Circulars

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the circulars that have been sent by (a) the Office for Standards in Education, (b) the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and (c) the Teacher Training Authority to (i) primary schools and (ii) secondary schools since 1 February 2002.

David Miliband: The information is as follows.
	(a) This is a matter for the Office for Standards in Education. David Bell, Ofsted's chief executive will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.
	(b) This is a matter for the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. Ken Boston, the authority's chief executive will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.
	(c) This is a matter for the Teacher Training Agency. Ralph Tabbererr, the Agency's chief executive will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

Specialist Schools

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his Department's policy is towards the Specialist Schools (Selection by Aptitude) Bill.

David Miliband: The Bill seeks to repeal the provisions of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, which enable schools with a specialism, not just those designated under the Specialist Schools Programme, to give priority to up to 10 per cent. of pupils who can demonstrate an aptitude in one or more of the prescribed subjects.
	We do not believe it is necessary nor desirable to remove the flexibility which enables the admission authorities for schools with a specialism, where they wish to do so, to give limited priority to pupils with a particular aptitude for the relevant specialism. Allowing limited use of aptitude in this way makes it possible for pupils who, for example, show a capacity to be trained or developed in sport or the visual arts to get a place where they would not have been able to do so under the school's other admissions criteria.
	The basis on which schools may use aptitude as part of their admissions criteria is set out in my Department's statutory guidance document, School Admissions Code of Practice.

Sure Start (Harwich)

Ivan Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding has been allocated to the Harwich constituency under the Sure Start scheme.

Maria Eagle: holding answer 10 February 2003
	No Sure Start local programme funding has been approved for Harwich to date. Plans for a 'mini' Sure Start programme are currently being considered by the Sure Start Unit. The Harwich 'mini' Sure Start, if approved, will receive up to 100,000 each year for revenue expenditure and funding for capital expenditure of up to 250,000 in total.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Angel Group

Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if he will list the contracts which the Angel Group and its subsidiaries have agreed with local authorities for the provision of services for asylum seekers and other specific groups of individuals;
	(2)  if he will list the contracts let and the dates on which they were let by his Department and its agencies to the Angel Group and its subsidiary companies;
	(3)  for how many contracts the Angel Group and its subsidiary companies applied to the Home Office and its agencies, and with what results, in the last five years.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 27 February 2003
	The National Asylum Support Service (NASS) has one contract with the Angel Group which was signed on 3 April 2000 and runs for five years. I am unable to supply information on tenders submitted by the group during the last five years since this is commercial in confidence. NASS is not aware of any contracts the Angel Group has entered into with local authorities and other agencies regarding the provision of services for asylum seekers.

Animal Experiments

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the reliability of animal experiments relating to behavioural neuroscience;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of the capacity of non-animal neurological research to replace animal experimentation.

Bob Ainsworth: The Government believe that animal based research still has an important part to play in research relating to the biomedical sciences. Neurological diseases and disorders remain major sources of human morbidity and mortality. Their impact is felt by individuals, their families, and society in general. Notwithstanding progress that has been made with understanding the causes and identifying possible treatments, there remains an urgent need to find better methods of preventing and treating conditions such as stroke, Parkinson's disease, and mental health problems. This requires the identification and use of the best current scientific technologies, not simply a reliance on animal research.
	To meet section 5(4) of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, any application to use protected animals in research must be subjected to a detailed cost/benefit assessment by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate. This is undertaken on a case by case basis. The reliability and relevance of all animal models requested are key considerations in the cost/benefit assessment and the Secretary of State looks to a number of sources, including Home Office inspectors and the Animal Procedures Committee, to provide advice not only relating to programmes of work, but also relating to technical developments that enable animal models to be reduced, refined and replaced. Licence authorities are only granted when there is no replacement alternative, and when all relevant and reasonable steps have been taken to identify and incorporate relevant reduction and refinement strategies.

Asylum Seekers

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what sources of in-country information about (a) Afghanistan, (b) Iraq and (c) Somalia are used in contesting appeals against refusal of an application for asylum from people leaving these countries.

Beverley Hughes: The main sources of in-country information for these countries are the Country Assessments and bulletins produced by the Home Office Country Information and Policy Unit. These are produced using published material from a wide variety of sources, which include non-governmental organisations, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and overseas governments. Information from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office may also be included.

Asylum Seekers

Jon Owen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many asylum seekers awaiting a decision on their application have stated that they fought for or supported the Taliban;
	(2)  how many people who have stated they fought for or supported the Taliban have entered this country through the asylum system;
	(3)  how many rejected asylum seekers awaiting deportation have stated that they fought for or supported the Taliban;
	(4)  how many failed asylum seekers awaiting an appeal have stated that they fought for or supported the Taliban.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 27 February 2003
	We are not in the business of offering asylum to Taliban terrorists or anybody else who poses a security risk to our country.
	All cases where a Taliban connection is claimed are referred to a Senior Caseworker to decide whether exclusion from the protection of the Refugee Convention is appropriate and for further security checks if appropriate. No evidence has been found that anyone who has willingly supported and fought for the Taliban has been granted asylum, and no other cases have arisen that have merited security action.

Asylum Seekers

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department after what period benefit payments are stopped in respect of asylum seekers who are refused asylum.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 3 March 2003
	An asylum seeker without children under the age of 18 remains eligible for asylum support from the Secretary of State under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, subject to meeting the other criteria for eligibility, until the claim for asylum is determined. The time when a claim for asylum is treated as determined for this purpose varies depending on the type of case pursuant to regulations 2 and 2A of the Asylum Support Regulations 2000. Where the claim for asylum is rejected, the claim for asylum is treated as determined 21 days after receipt of the decision refusing asylum or, if the person appeals, 21 days after the disposal of the appeal. However, where the asylum claim is rejected but the person is at the same time given exceptional leave to enter or remain, or where the asylum claim is rejected initially but the person successfully appeals against refusal of asylum, the claim for asylum is treated as determined 28 days after receipt of the decision, respectively the disposal of the appeal.
	In the case of an asylum seeker whose claim is rejected but whose household includes a child under the age of 18, while the child remains under 18 and the asylum seeker and the child remain in the United Kingdom, unless they are granted leave to enter or remain, they will be eligible for asylum support under Part VI of the 1999 Act, subject to meeting the other eligibility criteria, until they leave the United Kingdom.

Carter Report

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will publish the Carter Report into the Criminal Records Bureau.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 27 February 2003
	We have made it clear that the conclusions and recommendations which the Independent Review Team led by Patrick Carter presented at the end of last year took the form of advice to Ministers and included matters which are commercially confidential; and, as such, were not in a form intended for publication. But on 27 February my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary made a written statement welcoming the report. The main findings and recommendations of the Team have been placed in the Library, and my right hon. Friend's statement described how the Government proposes to take forward work on the 10 recommendations which have been made.

Carter Report

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date he received the report of the independent team led by Patrick Carter into the operation of the Criminal Records Bureau; when the report, or parts thereof, will be published; and what the key conclusions of the report are.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 3 March 2003
	The Independent Review Team's report was received on 17 December. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary made a written statement on 27 February setting out how the Government propose to take forward the Review Team's 10 recommendations. The main findings of the Review Team were published on the same date. Copies have been placed in the Library.

Charity Law

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he has taken to implement the recommendations in the Strategy Unit report Private Action, Public Benefit; and what the timetable is for drawing up a Charities Bill to implement the recommendations on charity law.

Beverley Hughes: The consultation period for the Strategy Unit report has now ended and over 1,100 responses have been received, which Home Office officials are now analysing.
	Where recommendations have commanded general support and do not require legislation, we aim to move as quickly as possible to implement them, although some may first need further policy development work.
	However, legislation would be needed to give effect to many of the recommendations; including the areas relating to the introduction of the Community Interest Company, the changes to Industrial and Provident Society legislation and changes to charity and fundraising law.
	Initial analysis of the responses to the Strategy Unit report indicates support for the Community Interest Company concept. The Department of Trade and Industry, the Home Office and other interested Departments are now considering the timing and content of a possible technical consultation on the concept, which would be necessary before legislation could be introduced.
	The Treasury are currently examining the responses received to the proposals for changes to Industrial and Provident Society legislation and considering options for taking forward the recommendations. However, my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Ruth Kelly) made it clear at the Second Reading of the Co-operatives and Community Benefit Societies Bill, (private members Bill sponsored by my hon. Friend, Member for South Derbyshire (Mark Todd)) that it is Government's intention to enact an asset 'lock-in' regime, following further examination and consultation, if it continues to appear sensible and feasible to do so. Such a regime was one recommendation of the Strategy Unit report. The Treasury are working with Mark Todd to see how they can facilitate the introduction of such a regime through his Bill.
	Further policy development work will need to be done in some areas before the Home Office would be in a position to produce a draft Charities Bill, which my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary recently promised to publish as soon as possible. Currently Home Office Officials are liasing with the Department for Transport and the Treasury on their respective areas of responsibility.

Correspondence

Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter of 13 September 2002 from the hon. Member for Eccles concerning Ms Weyni Abraha, which his Department has acknowledged ref: 18797/2.

Beverley Hughes: My noble Friend, (Lord Filkin) wrote to my hon. Friend on 4 March.

Correspondence

Marion Roe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Broxbourne of (a) 25 October 2002, (b) 18 November 2002, (c) 20 December 2002 and (d) 16 January 2003 relating to her constituent, Mr. Raj Kumar of Broxbourne.

John Denham: holding answer 21 January 2003
	I refer the hon. Member to my letter to her of 21 February. As I set out in that reply, I am sorry for the delay in responding.

Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the honourable Member for Walsall North will receive a reply to his letter of 8 January regarding a constituent ref. 7113.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 24 February 2003
	I wrote to my hon. Friend on 3 March 2003.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department why he has not replied to the letter to him dated 4 November 2002 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms Mansovreh Bozoronia.

David Blunkett: I refer my right hon. Friend to the reply I gave on 25 February 2003, Official Report, column 397W.

Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to adjust the budget for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority for 200203.

Hilary Benn: An additional 25 million is being provided for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme in the Spring Supplementary Estimate, published on 28 February. This will increase the 200203 resource budget for compensation to 208 million, sufficient to meet the liabilities accruing from compensation awards offered within that financial year.

Criminal Records Bureau

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff have been redeployed to the Criminal Records Bureau from the Passport Agency in each month since the introduction of the Criminal Records Bureau.

Hilary Benn: In order to support the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) continuous improvement programme, the United Kingdom Passport Service (UKPS) has seconded staff without any significant impact on the delivery of the passports.
	The secondment programme began in June 2002 with the majority taking place during the period of lower seasonal demand for passports. UKPS normally seeks work for its staff elsewhere in the Home Office and other Government Departments at this time as a wider markets initiative. Currently, 35 UKPS staff remain attached to either CRB or are offering support to police forces.
	The breakdown of numbers on a month by month basis is as follows:
	
		
			  Staff 
		
		
			 June 2002 64 
			 July 2002 80 
			 August 2002 228 
			 September 2002 228 
			 October 2002 228 
			 November 2002 192 
			 December 2002 122 
			 January 2003 35 
			 February 2003 35

Criminal Records Bureau

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the inquiry headed by Patrick Carter into the Criminal Records Bureau will cost; and who will be responsible for the costs.

Hilary Benn: The estimated cost of the review is 585,000. This includes the cost of various consultancies in support of the review. The Home Office will be responsible for this cost.

Domestic Violence

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which local authorities in England and Wales have a written and publicly available policy on domestic violence; when each local authority's domestic violence policy was published; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: Central Government keep records of local authority policies only where there is a statutory requirement to have one. It is therefore not possible to give the Information requested since there is no statutory requirement to have a domestic violence policy, though all are encouraged to do so.

Drug Treatment and Testing Orders

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 5 February 2003, Official Report, column 328W, in what circumstances drug treatment and testing orders are revoked; what is deemed as failure to comply by a participant; and if he will undertake a review of DTTOs.

Bob Ainsworth: Drug Treatment and Testing orders (DTTO) can be revoked for any of the following reasons: failure to comply; a conviction for a further offence; for other reasons, including ill-health or death or where the offender has demonstrated good progress on the order.
	Failure to comply refers to failure to adhere to the requirements of the order as set out under legislation and determined by the court. The two main requirements are to attend for treatment and to attend for testing as specified for a set period. The offender must also attend periodic court reviews and is expected to comply with instructions issued to him by his responsible officer.
	The results of the first year of a two year re-conviction study and also a DTTO thematic inspection report will be published later this year. The Government intend that the DTTO will become part of the generic community sentence as proposed by the Criminal Justice Bill currently before Parliament.

Drug Treatment and Testing Orders

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convicted offenders were assessed as having drug problems in the last year for which figures are available; and what proportion of these were eligible for a Drug Treatment and Testing Order.

Bob Ainsworth: The best available evidence on the links between criminal offending and drug use comes form the New English and Welsh Arrestee Drug Abuse (NEW-ADAM) research programme. This involves interviewing and drug testing those arrested by the police at 16 sites throughout England and Wales. Analysis of the data from the first eight sites in the programme, collected during 19992000, shows that of those arrestees that provided a urine sample, 65 per cent. tested positive for one or more illegal drugs. Furthermore, 55 per cent. of arrestees who reported using one of more drugs in the last 12 months and committing one or more acquisitive crimes, acknowledged a link between their drug use and their offending behaviour. This proportion rose to 78 per cent. for arrestees who said they had used heroin and cocaine/crack.
	Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTO) enable courts to require offenders to undergo treatment and other programmes, designed to tackle their drug misuse and offending. Before making such an Order, a court has to be satisfied that:
	the offender is dependent upon, or has shown/demonstrated a propensity to misuse, drugs and that their offending is linked to drug misuse;
	is motivated and amenable to treatment;
	has given consent; and
	treatment and DTTO arrangements are in place in the area where the order is being made.
	Between November 2001 and October 2002, the latest period for which data is available, 6,296 offenders were assessed as suitable for a DTTO.

Extradition Bill

Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) clauses and (b) schedules were (i) fully debated, (ii) partly debated and (iii) not debated during the committee stage of the Extradition Bill.

Bob Ainsworth: For a clause or schedule to be debated during the Committee Stage a member of the Committee must either table an amendment to it or speak to the motion that it should stand part of the Bill. In the case of a large number of clauses in the Extradition Bill, no member of the committee chose to do so.
	The number of Committee sessions for the Bill was agreed through the usual channels. The figure of nine was first suggested by the official Opposition.
	At its first meeting the Committee sessions for the Bill was agreed the terms of a programme motion which imposed a number of cut-off points by which discussion of a particular part of the Bill had to be completed.
	On only one occasion did the knife fall before the Committee had completed its discussion of the relevant part. This was in respect of Part 1 of the Bill which covers clauses 167. The knife fell when the Committee was discussing clause 63.
	Amendments to clauses 63, 64 and 65 had already been discussed at previous Committee sittings. At the point when the knife fell, the Chair was obliged to put the question for each of the remaining Part 1 clauses that it should stand part of the Bill. It was open to any member of the Committee to oppose it. No member of the Committee chose to do so in respect of clauses 66 and 67.
	When it became clear that there was a possibility that the knife might fall before the Committee had completed its deliberations on Part 1, the Government made several offers to change the timetable. All of these offers were rejected by the official Opposition.

Hit-and-run Accidents

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the maximum fine is that can be levied on a hit-and-run driver without insurance.

Bob Ainsworth: Under section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 a driver is required to stop after an accident and provide his name and address. If for any reason the driver does not give his name and address, he is required to report the accident. Should the driver fail to do either of the above, the maximum fine available is 5,000 (level 5 on the standard scale). This is also the maximum fine for driving without insurance under section 143 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. Therefore, a driver convicted of both of these offences could be subjected to a maximum fine of 1,000.
	If a driver fails to stop or report following a serious road traffic incident in respect of which there is evidence to support more serious charges, he may be prosecuted for those offences in addition to failing to stop or report.

Hit-and-run Accidents

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for he Home Department how many (a) hit-and-run accidents, (b) hit-and-run accidents whose driver did not have insurance and (c) hit-and-run drivers taken to court and (i) fined, (ii) imprisoned and (iii) acquitted there were in each of the last five years; and what percentage of these fines remain unpaid.

Hilary Benn: Department for Transport figures are given in the following table for the number of hit-and-run accidents in England and Wales for the years 19972001.
	It is not possible, in the statistics collected centrally, to distinguish offences relating to a hit-and-run accident from offences resulting from other kinds of accidents. Motorists charged following a hit-and-run will e charged with an offence appropriate to the circumstances. This may often be failing to stop after an accident or failing to report an accident, but more serious charges may be preferred in some cases depending on the circumstances.
	Table B shows available data on motoring offences within England and Wales, as defined in section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, for failing to stop after an accident or failing to report an accident within 24 hours. The figures shown are the numbers of offences, rather than the numbers of offenders.
	Data on the number of cases where drivers were convicted for insurance offences, (under section 143 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, using motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks), as well as the offences of failing to stop after an accident or failing to report an accident within 24 hours are given in table C.
	Information on fines unpaid by offence is not collected centrally.
	
		Table AThe number of hit-and-run accidents, England and Wales, 19972001
		
			 Year Total 
		
		
			  
			 1997 17,456 
			 1998 17,564 
			 1999 19,023 
			 2000 21,591 
			 2001 23,757 
		
	
	
		Table BProceedings at magistrates courts and outcome at all courts for the motoring offences of failing to stop after an accident, etc. and failing to report an accident within 24 hoursEngland and Wales -- Number of offences
		
			 Year/offence Total proceedings Acquittals(11) Fine Immediate custody(12) 
		
		
			  Failing to stop after accident, etc. (Road Traffic Act 1988 s170(4)) 
			 1997 15,829 935 6,760 319 
			 1998 15,387 861 6,299 387 
			 1999 14,923 790 5,922 406 
			 2000 14,663 754 5,658 403 
			 2001 15,392 784 5,411 396 
			  
			  Failing to report accident within 24 hours (Road Traffic Act 1988 s170(4) and (7))  
			 1997 13,092 830 4,419 142 
			 1998 12,876 773 3,944 176 
			 1999 12,336 721 3,603 192 
			 2000 12,029 684 3,283 189 
			 2001 12,377 705 3,092 168 
		
	
	(11) Includes cases dismissed at the magistrates courts under the Magistrates' Courts Act 1980 s9 and acquittals at the Crown Court.
	(12) Includes unsuspended sentence of imprisonment, young offender institution, secure training order (19982000) and detention and training order (2000 onwards).
	
		Table CThe number of convictions for insurance offences(13) where drivers were also convicted for failing to stop after an accident or failing to report an accident within 24 hours, England and Wales, 19972001
		
			 Year Total number 
		
		
			  
			 1997 4,207 
			 1998 4,339 
			 1999 4,428 
			 2000 4,446 
			 2001 4,742 
		
	
	(13) Section 143, Road Traffic Act 1988using motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks.

Hospitality

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what hospitality has been offered at public expense in the last 12 months, by each Minister in his Department to outside interest groups, broken down by (a) restaurant, (b) recipient and (c) cost in each case;
	(2)  how often Ministers in his Department have received hospitality in restaurants from outside groups in the last 12 months;
	(3)  what criteria Ministers in his Department use when determining whether to offer hospitality in restaurants to interest groups at public expense; and if he will make a statement.
	(4)  what his Department's hospitality budget (a) is in 200203 and (b) was in each of the last three years; and how much was left unspent at the end of each financial year.

David Blunkett: All offers of hospitality are made in accordance with the published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in 'Government Accounting'. The giving and receiving of hospitality is conducted fully in accordance with the guidance set out in the 'Ministerial Code, and Guidance on Contacts with Outside Interest Groups including Lobbyists'. The detailed information requested is not held centrally, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Leave to Remain

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in each quarter since January 1997, (a) how many applications for leave to remain on the basis of marriage were received, (b) what the normal time taken to full initial screening and decisions on straightforward cases was, (c) what the time taken to deal with those applications not considered straightforward was and (d) how many staff were employed in the relevant departments of the IND dealing with these applications.

Beverley Hughes: The latest available statistics are given in the following table. The information relates to grants and refusals of extensions of leave to remain on the basis of marriage for each quarter 1997 to 2001. Data for 2002 will be published later this year. Information on the number of applications lodged is not currently available.
	
		Grants and refusals of extensions of leave to remain on the basis of marriage in the United Kingdom, excluding EEA nationals, 1997 to 2001
		
			  Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Total 
		
		
			 1997  
			 Grants 4,060 3,965 4,105 3,650 15,780 
			 Refusals 385 360 280 210 1,235 
			 1998  
			 Grants 4,075 3,670 4,020 3,635 15,400 
			 Refusals 290 255 210 130 885 
			 1999  
			 Grants 2,255 3,375 5,795 4,620 16,050 
			 Refusals 25 50 60 80 215 
			 2000  
			 Grants 6,610 6,990 6,335 5,845 25,785 
			 Refusals 140 330 440 150 1,065 
			 2001  
			 Grants 6,025 5,900 5,685 4,960 22,570 
			 Refusals 570 360 375 370 1,670 
		
	
	Notes:
	Figures rounded to the nearest 5.
	Data exclude unmarried partners and fiance(e)s.
	Data exclude the outcome of appeals and withdrawn applications.
	There are no published data on decision times for individual types of settlement applications. Our aim is to decide all straightforward applications within three weeks. At present some straightforward applications decided in initial consideration are taking about 10 weeks because of the exceptionally high intake of new applications received in the latter part of 2002. At present some applications that cannot be dealt with on initial consideration can take around 12 months to decide. Measures are being taken to reduce turnaround times.
	The information on staff dealing with marriage applications is not available in the form requested as individual staff members do not take decisions solely on marriage applications.

London Prisons

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (b) women have been assessed for drug treatment in each London prison during the last 12 months.

Hilary Benn: Prisoners may receive different types of assessment for drug treatment, depending on need and availability. All prisoners receive a health care assessment on reception into custody which will trigger a further assessment for detoxification if required. All prisoners referred to counselling, assessment, referral, advice and throughcare (CARATs) receive an initial assessment of need.
	Prior to acceptance on a rehabilitation programme, all prisoners will receive a detailed assessment. Figures showing the number of CARAT assessments are given in the following table. No figures are available centrally for the number of detoxification and rehabilitation assessments undertaken. Figures for the number of actual treatments, a proxy measure of assessments, are included in the table.
	
		April 2002 to January 2003
		
			  CARATs(14) Detoxification(15) Rehabilitation(15) 
			 Prison Male Female Male Female Male Female 
		
		
			 Belmarsh 572  799  0  
			 Brixton 744  1,068  78  
			 Feltham 1,356  163  0  
			 Holloway  596  1,828  0 
			 Latchmere House 0  0  0  
			 Pentonville 1,024  2,361  71  
			 Wandsworth 1,170  1,692  58  
			 Wormwood Scrubs 1,096  950  46  
			 Total 5,962 596 7,033 1,828 253 0 
		
	
	(14) Initial assessments.
	(15) Treatment episodes.

Multi-agency Public Protection Panels

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons are under the supervision of each multi-agency public protection panel in England and Wales; whether there is a central database of offenders who are under the supervision of each multi-agency public protection panel in England and Wales; and whether a protocol exists for multi-agency public protection panels regarding the passing of information to other agencies.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 28 February 2003
	The number of offenders being supervised by multi-agency public protection panels in each area of England and Wales is not currently available and there is no central database of these offenders. However, each area's multi-agency public protection arrangements (the MAPPA) annual report (to be published this summer) will include this information. Also, a computer-based Violent and Sex offenders Register (ViSoR) is being developed with plans for its introduction next year.
	Many Areas have established local protocols for sharing of information with other agencies and the consolidated guidance that my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary is to issue on MAPPA in March will contain advice on the legal principles and practicalities of information sharing.

Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner

Jonathan Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list IT contracts in his Department above 50 million in each of the last 10 years; what the inception date for each system was; when it became fully functional; when it became fully debugged; and what the cost of over-runs has been.

David Blunkett: I am unable to provide the hon. Member with a complete answer as central records are not held on the information sought, and to obtain the requested information in the time given may incur disproportionate cost. I am, however able to provide the following information on IT contracts held by the Home Department which were valued at 50 million or more, detailing date of inception and also when systems became fully functional:
	
		
			 Contract Inception date Fully functional 
		
		
			 Home Office IT Services Contract 19942001 August 1994 9 November 1994 
			 Immigration and Nationality Directorate Casework Contract(16) April 1996 Contract never became fully functional and has now been superseded 
			 Quantum Project IT and Private Finance Initiative Agreement Contract for infrastructure February 2000 Infrastructure roll-out will be substantially completed by 31 March 2003 
			 Criminal Records Bureau Contract with Capita August 2000 May 2001Manual Registration Services LaunchedJuly 2001Automated Registration Services LaunchedMarch 2002High Level Disclosure Service Launched 
			 Home Office IT Services 10 year Contract October 2000 February 2001 
			 Provision of Information Communication Technology Services to the Probation Service October 2001 December 2001 
		
	
	(16) Contract is a multi-disciplinary one, which is not exclusively IT.

Police Cells

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners are held in police cells; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: On 27 February 2003, no prisoners were held in police cells under Operation Safeguard. The Prison Service last used police cells under Operation Safeguard on 20 December 2002.

Prison Service

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total cost of the Prison Service was in real terms at 200001 prices (a) in total and (b) per prisoner, in each year from 198586 to 200203; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: Prison Service total costs for the years 198586 to 200102 are shown in the following table. The total cost figures for 200203 are not yet available. To ensure comparability across the years the data is based on actual cash expenditure and has been drawn from the Prison Service Annual Reports and Accounts from 199192 onwards and the annual Report on the Work of the Prison Department prior to 199192.
	Separate information on cost per prisoner was not published in the Annual Report prior to 19992000. The figures for 200102 and 200203 have been constructed on a cash basis to give a consistent comparison with earlier years. The figure for 200203 is based on the published target figure.
	
		
			 Financial year Total current expenditure (Cash) ( million) Total capital expenditure (Cash) ( million) Total net expenditure (Cash) ( million) Total net expenditure (at 200001 prices) (Real terms) Cost per prisoner (000 at 200001 prices) (Real terms) 
		
		
			 198586 564.8 89.9 654.7 1,177.4 n/a 
			 198687 585.0 111.1 696.1 1,212.4 n/a 
			 198788 666.8 108.1 774.9 1,280.2 n/a 
			 198889 750.8 158.2 909.0 1,406.0 n/a 
			 198990 756.4 366.3 1,122.7 1,620.6 n/a 
			 199091 887.7 453.8 1,341.5 1,796.3 n/a 
			 199192 1,049.5 412.6 1,462.1 1,845.2 n/a 
			 199293 1,138.4 331.9 1,470.3 1,797.4 n/a 
			 199394 1,223.7 285.1 1,508.8 1,800.0 n/a 
			 199495 1,279.6 318.3 1,597.9 1,881.3 n/a 
			 199596 1,336.7 330.2 1,666.9 1,908.2 n/a 
			 199697 1,388.5 220.1 1,608.6 1,784.9 n/a 
			 199798 1,462.9 277.9 1,740.8 1,873.7 n/a 
			 199899 1,611.7 200.4 1,812.1 1,898.3 n/a 
			 19992000 1,696.8 149.6 1,846.6 1,888.5 26,454 
			 200001 1,777.7 135.2 1,912.9 1,912.9 26,118 
			 200102 1,921.0 197.0 2,118.0 2,069.1 29,037 
			 200203 n/a n/a n/a n/a 28,367

Prison Training Programmes

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to (a) promote and (b) provide financial assistance to corporate socially responsible training programmes in prisons and young offenders institutions; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: A number of companies and other organisations help the Prison Service to work to reduce reoffending through skills training and work placement schemes for prisoners. Discussions are continuing with those organisations on how best to develop these important and welcome links.

Prisoner Nutrition

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of (a) the nutritional needs of prisoners in HM prisons and (b) the need for supplements to be issued; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: Prison caterers are required to offer a balanced and varied diet which meets the nutritional needs of prisoners. Healthy options are indicated on all menus. Advice for caterers is contained in Prison Service Order 5000, together with mandatory requirements. The advice is consistent with recommendations made by the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy and covers nutritional and energy intake.
	A nutritional research analysis of prison food was carried out in late 1998 by Professor John Edwards of Bournemouth University. The report concluded that 'the diet consumed in all surveyed prisons was extremely good and in general fell within the recommendations'. Individual clinical needs of prisoners are assessed by medical officers. Any necessary supplements would be given on the authority of the medical officer.

Prisoners (Drugs)

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of offenders serving sentences of (a) under 12 months and (b) over 12 months tested positive for (i) heroin, (ii) crack cocaine and (iii) cocaine while in prison in the last year for which figures are available.

Hilary Benn: Figures for prisoners in England and Wales testing positive under the random mandatory drug testing programme are not disaggregated by sentence length. Figures for heroin are included under the heading of opiates. Laboratory analysis is not able to distinguish between use of crack cocaine and cocaine. The respective percentages of positive tests for opiates and cocaine in 200102 are 4.6 per cent. and 0.2 per cent.

Probation Service

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what performance targets are set for the National Probation Service in England and Wales.

Hilary Benn: The performance targets for the National Probation Service for England and Wales are as follows.
	National Probation Service Performance Measures
	Service Delivery Agreement (SPA) Targets
	1. Improve the timeliness of probation service reports to the courts by:
	(a) increasing the proportion of Pre-Sentence Reports (PSRs) completed within the 15 day National Standard to 90 per cent.; and
	(b) increasing the proportion of reports to the court (i.e. PSRs and Specific Sentence Reports (SSRs)) that are SSRs to 20 per cent. in 200203 and 25 per cent. in 200304.
	2. Increase the educational and vocational qualifications of offenders with 6,000 programme starts and 1,000 completions of basic skills awards at any level in 200203; and 12,000 completions in 200304, comprising 2,000 at entry level, 8,000 at Level 1 and 2,000 at Level 2.
	3. Increase the number of offenders going through accredited offending behaviour programmes with 12,000 offenders to complete accredited programmes in 200203, 20,000 offenders to complete accredited programmes in 200304, and, subject to a satisfactory scheme being accredited by the Correctional Services Accreditation Panel, a further 30,000 to start enhanced community punishment programmes in 200304 (from October 2003 to March 2004).
	4. Breach action to be taken in accordance with the National Standard (on or before second unacceptable failure for community sentences and on or before third unacceptable failure for licence cases)Target: 90 per cent.
	5. To improve access to employment and accommodation for offenders.
	6. Ensure that the number of Drug Treatment and Testing Order commencements in England and Wales increases to 6,000 approximately in 200203, to 9,000 in 200304 and to 12,000 in 200405.
	7. Progress against the Home Secretary's race equality employment targets (published in July 1999) aimed at increasing levels of representation, retention and career progression of people from minority ethnic groups.
	8. To reduce sickness absence in the probation service to an average of 10 days per staff year by 2003 and to 9.0 days per staff year by 2004 and to sustain this improvement thereafter.
	Supporting Performance Measures (SPMs)
	1. Proportion of cases involving serious sexual or other violent offence in which the probation service makes contact with the victim or victim's family within eight weeks of sentence in accordance with National Standards and Victim's Charter Target: contact made within target time in 85 per cent. of cases where offender sentenced to 12 months or more.
	2. Proportions of
	(a) PSRs completed in 15 working days
	(b) Total reports that are SSRs
	Each for (i) Crown and (ii) magistrates courts separately (i.e. breakdown of SDA 1 figures by court type).
	3. Overall quality of PSRs
	4. Actual reconviction rates for persons subject to community orders by type of order compared to predicted rates. Target: lower actual rates for all types, and achieve rates lower than predicted
	5. Average of compliance proportions across a basket of national standards requirements on first and subsequent contact, i.e:
	Community Rehabilitation Orders
	first appointment was arranged for within five working days
	at least 12 appointments were arranged for within the first 12 weeks
	at least six appointments were arranged for the next 12 weeks
	appointments thereafter were monthly
	Community Punishment Orders
	first work session was arranged for within 10 working days
	offenders were offered a minimum of five hours per week throughout order
	Community Punishment  Rehabilitation Orders
	first probation appointment arranged for within five days and first work session arranged for within 10 days
	at least 12 CR appointments and 11 CP work sessions arranged in first 12 weeks
	at least six CR appointments and 12 CP work sessions arranged in next 12 weeks Licences
	offender seen within one working day of release
	home visit within 10 working days of release (excluding HOC)
	weekly contact arranged for first four weeks (further to first meeting)
	two-weekly contact arranged for second and third months
	monthly contact arranged thereafter
	Target: overall average of 90 per cent.
	6. Proportion of supervision cases where supervision plan done in 15 days, and reviews every four months.
	7. Proportion of cases where breach action taken in accordance with NS, broken down by community punishment order/community rehabilitation order/community punishment and rehabilitation order/licence (i.e. breakdown of SDA 4).
	8. Proportion of offenders under supervision whose current offence is serious (i.e. violence, sexual, robbery or burglary). (To be discontinued from 200304)
	9. Proportion of cases assessed as High of Very High risk of harm on any of the four such OASys measures where a plan to manage the risk was prepared within five days of order or release, or the date at which a previously lesser risk was identified as having risen to High or Very High.
	10. Proportion of hostel residence orders or conditions which are completed.
	11. For offenders on community sentences: difference between the proportion in employment at end of their supervision and that in employment at start.
	12. For offenders on licence:
	difference between the proportion in employment at end of their licence and that in employment directly after release
	difference between the proportion in employment at end of their licence and that in employment immediately before custodial sentence started
	13. For offenders on community sentences: difference between the proportion in education or training at end of their supervision and that in education or training at start.
	14. For offenders on licence:
	difference between the proportion in education or training at end of their licence and that in education or training directly after release
	difference between the proportion in education or training at end of their licence and that in education or training immediately before custodial sentence started
	15. For offenders on community sentences: difference between the proportion in settled accommodation at end of their supervision and that in settled accommodation at start
	16. For offenders on licence:
	difference between the proportion in settled accommodation at end of their licence and that in settled accommodation directly after release
	difference between the proportion in settled accommodation at end of their licence and that in settled accommodation immediately before custodial sentence started
	17. Unit cost of PSR, community rehabilitation order, community punishment order, community punishment and rehabilitation order, ACR and life licence.
	18. Proportion of bedspaces in approved hostels which are occupied. Target: 90 per cent.
	19. Proportion of all community punishment orders where the average weekly hours worked was at least five hours.
	20. Wastage of staff (excluding death, retirement and in-service transfer) as percentage of work force.
	21. Annual sample survey of sentencer satisfaction, i.e. the proportion of magistrates satisfied with
	the work of the service overall
	the overall usefulness of PSRs, ditto for SSRs
	the objectivity of PSRs, ditto for SSRs
	Target: 90 per cent for each
	the proportion of judges satisfied with
	the work of the service overall
	the overall usefulness of PSRs, ditto for SSRs
	the objectivity of PSRs, ditto for SSRs
	Target: 90 per cent for each
	22. Achievement of Charter Mark or Investors in People award.
	(To be discontinued from 200304)
	23. Proportion of hostel residents whose conviction or charge is for a serious offence (i.e. violence, sexual, robbery or burglary).
	(To be discontinued from 200304)
	24. Average National Standards compliance proportions for high risk of harm caseson same lines as general basket measure at SPM 5 above but including proportion of cases where appointments actually took place as well as just arranged.
	25. The proportion of those offenders for whom drug misuse is a criminogenic factor who are on a recognised drugs intervention (e.g. DTTO, drug abstinence order, drugs programme) in the course of their supervision.
	26. Proportion of offenders commencing orders and licences who go on accredited programmes:
	(a) Proportion for all such offenders;
	(b) From 200304 proportion for those offenders who have OASys scores above a certain level.
	27. Number of offenders completing accredited programmes (i.e. number of people completing, to complement the satisfactory completions measure in SDA 3).
	28. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) implementation quality rating (IQR) for delivery of accredited programmes.
	29. Number of offenders completing accredited drug misuse programmes.
	30. Ratio of total commencements of orders and licences to total (weighted) staff. (To be discontinued from 200304)
	31. Satisfaction surveys of other CJS stakeholders (e.g. police, other Crime and Disorder Act partners); partnership agencies; victims
	Bail information. (To be discontinued from 200304)
	Other Measures
	To ensure that there is a clear recommendation in at least 95 per cent. of PSRs written on minority ethnic offenders.
	To ensure complete and timely information in at least 95 per cent. of returns.

Reconvictions

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 13 February to question 98141, what the reconviction levels were between 1995 and 2002; and what estimates he has made of reconviction levels in (a) 2003 and (b) 2004.

Hilary Benn: Two-year 'un-adjusted' reconviction rates for prisoners discharged from custody are available for 1995 to 1998. These were 58 per cent. in 1995, 57 per cent. in 1996, 58 per cent. in 1997 and 59 per cent. in 1998. These rates are published in Prison StatisticsEngland and Wales 2001.
	Reconviction rates for offenders discharged from custody have also been published according to the requirements of the Government's Public Service Agreement (PSA) 10 target. These are adjusted to take out convictions for offences committed prior to discharge, giving a reconviction rate of 55.3 per cent. for the first quarter of 1999. The equivalent figures for the first quarter of 1997 and 1998 are 56.8 per cent. and 55.7 per cent. respectively.
	Neither set of rates indicate trends in rates over time, as they make no allowance for changes in the characteristics and criminal histories of offenders given custodial sentences. To do this a predicted rate is used. Comparisons between the actual and predicted reconviction rates for 1999 show that the actual rate was 3.3 percentage points lower than predicted relative to the 1997 baseline.
	Reconviction rates for more recent periods are not yet available.

Rehabilitation

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners undergoing drug treatment were offered continuing treatment on release into the community; and how many prisoners took up this offer in the last year for which figures are available.

Hilary Benn: Information on the numbers of prisoners offered treatment on release and the number taking up that offer is not available centrally. A programme of work is under way to collect that information but data are not expected to be available until late summer 2003.

Rehabilitation

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent on drug rehabilitation for (a) offenders in prison and (b) prisoners on release in each of the last five years.

Hilary Benn: The following table shows the drug rehabilitation spend for offenders in prison for the financial years 19992000 to 200102; this comprises additional rehabilitation resources made available through the Comprehensive Spending Review and Spending Review 2000 settlements. Drug-related expenditure prior to 19992000 cannot be broken down by individual drug intervention.
	
		Drug rehabilitation spend for prisoners in custody
		
			   million 
		
		
			 19992000 2.4 
			 200001 4.4 
			 200102 6.4 
		
	
	Information relating to rehabilitation spend for prisoners post-release is not recorded centrally and could be established only at disproportionate cost.

Secure Units

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his latest estimate is of the cost per year per inmate of (a) local authority secure units, (b) secure training centres and (c) young offenders' institutions.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 28 February 2003
	The juvenile secure estate comprises Prison Service Young Offender Institutions, privately-operated secure training centres and local authority secure units. The different types of establishment vary in the age and vulnerability of the offenders they hold, and in the levels of staffing and types of regime. Responsibility for commissioning and purchasing places in the secure estate rests with the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales which estimates that the average annual costs of detaining an offender aged under 18 in these establishments are as follows.
	
		
			   
		
		
			 Young Offender Institution 53,000 
			 Secure Training Centre(17) 159,000 
			 Local authority secure unit 164,000 
		
	
	(17) Includes VAT

Traffic Accidents (Havering)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many road traffic accidents were reported last year in (a) the London Borough of Havering, (b) the London Borough of Redbridge, (c) the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and (d) the County of Essex.

Bob Ainsworth: Data for reported road traffic accidents in these areas referred are as follows:
	
		
			 London Borough 2001 2002 
		
		
			 Havering 957 (18)801 
			 Redbridge 1,186 (18)913 
			 Barking and Dagenham 696 (18)536 
			 Essex 19,005 18,803 
		
	
	(18) Figures for December 2002 not yet available
	The figures for Essex include reported non-injury accidents whereas those for the London Boroughs do not. Non-injury accidents in the London boroughs are not recorded centrally.
	The total number of accidents reported is not always a useful figure since many minor accidents are not reported and the length and type of roads in the four areas are very different.

Voluntary Organisations (Vulnerable Children)

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans his Department has to support the establishment and development of voluntary organisations using the model and approach of 'Kids Company' in Camberwell.

Beverley Hughes: Kids Company is a charitable organisation working with disadvantaged young people in Southwark. It is one of a number of voluntary organisations and charities working with young people at risk to help them achieve positive outcomes and avoid becoming involved in drugs and crime.
	In June 2001 the Youth Justice Board commissioned Crime Concern to undertake a short study on the feasibility of replicating the Kids Company model, and we are considering the outcome of that study. Kids Company offers one approach in working with young people and there are others, such as the Youth Inclusion Programme. We do not advocate one model above any other without clear evidence of both impact and cost effectiveness.

Young Offenders

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average length of sentence (a) issued and (b) served for those young offenders sent to (i) local authority secure units, (ii) young offenders' institutions and (iii) secure training centres was in each of the last five years.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 28 February 2003
	The information is not available in precisely the form requested. The custodial part of a sentence may be served in different types of establishment and an individual offender may move between different types of establishment during the course of his sentence. The table shows the average length of sentence imposed, some of which will be served in a custodial establishment and some in the community.
	
		Average custodial sentence length(19) imposed on persons aged 1017, by sentence type, England and Wales, 1997 to 2001 -- Months
		
			 Custodial sentence type 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 
		
		
			 Detained under sec 53 C  YPA 1933(20) 42.1 39.6 37.7 39.6 40.1 
			 Detention and training order(21) n/a n/a n/a 7.6 7.3 
			 Secure training order(22) n/a 8.3 9.6 8.1 n/a 
			 Young offender institution(23) 6.7 6.3 6.2 6.1 n/a 
		
	
	n/a = not applicable.
	(19) Excluding life sentences.
	(20) Sec 9092 Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 from 25 August 2000. Served in local authority secure units (LASUs), Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) or, since 2000, secure training centres (STCs).
	(21) Served in LASUs, YOIs or STCs and available nationally from 1 April 2000.
	(22) Served in STCs and available from 1 March 1998 to 31 March 2000, when replaced by detention and training orders.
	(23) Served in YOIs and replaced by detention and training orders from 31 March 2000.

Young Offenders

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) local authority secure units, (b) young offenders' institutions and (c) secure training centres have been in operation in each of the past five years; how many places there are in each; and what the average occupancy rate for each unit was in those years.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 28 February 2003
	The information requested cannot be readily provided. I shall therefore write to my hon. Friend.

HEALTH

Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research has been carried out into the impact of endocrine-disrupting chemicals on human health.

Hazel Blears: There has been and continues to be a large amount of research relevant to the broad hypothesis that current exposures to chemicals may alter the functions of the endocrine system in such a way as to harm human health, and many expert reviews have been published. The most recent comprehensive review is in the International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS), Global assessment of the state-of-the-science of endocrine disrupters, published in August 2002 by the World Health Organization (WHO/PCS/EDC/02.2). A copy will be deposited in the Library. The report is also available at http://www.who.int/pcs/emerg site/edc/global edc TOC.htm
	The Department of Health provided financial support for the IPCS review and both financial and secretariat support were provided by the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
	Several Departments fund research projects on possible health effects from and levels of potential endocrine disrupters present naturally or man-made, in food, consumer products and the environment.

Attention Deficit Disorder

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of (a) junk food and (b) additives in food on (i) ADD and (ii) ADHD; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: Independent evidence suggests that some foods and their ingredients can affect certain aspects of children's behaviour. While eliminating some foods may thus be helpful, a dietary approach to the treatment of children with the more severe form of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has been found to be of limited value.
	The Food Standards Agency (FSA) considers that more definitive information is needed on the relationship between additives and the behavioural effects on children. The FSA is currently seeking advice on undertaking further research in this area.

Cancer Services (Investment)

Patsy Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether the findings of the exceptional tracking exercise on the additional investment in cancer services will be published (a) in full and (b) on his Department's website;
	(2)  if his Department will use the findings of the exceptional tracking exercise on the additional investment in cancer services to inform its work to improve the patient's experience of cancer, as an NHS Cancer Plan priority;
	(3)  if his Department will contact (a) patient stakeholder groups and (b) their representative organisations to inform them of the publication of the findings of the exceptional tracking exercise on the additional investment in cancer services;
	(4)  when his Department plans to publish the findings of its exceptional tracking exercise on the additional investment in cancer services;
	(5)  what format will be used for the publication of the findings of the exceptional tracking exercise on the additional investment in cancer services.

Hazel Blears: We intend to publish headline national and network level figures on cancer investment on the Department's website in late spring. The exact format will depend on the level and type of information received from strategic health authorities. We will continue to work with key stakeholders and patient representative groups to improve the patient experience including making available to them the figures from the cancer investment tracking exercise. At a local level this exercise will inform cancer networks' discussions with their stakeholders on plans for future investment, to further improve patient care.
	Further details of the tracking investment exercise can be found at www.doh.qov.uk/cancer/trackinginvestment.htm

Cloning

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has held with his European counterparts on cloning; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, has held no meetings with his European counterparts on cloning. However, cloning has been on the agenda at a number of international meetings attended by the Prime Minister and Science Minister since 1998.
	The United Kingdom was the first European country to put in place a specific legal ban on human reproductive cloning in 2001 and we continue to support moves in the United Nations to introduce a global ban on human reproductive cloning.

Continuing Care

Edward O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to revise the notes for guidance on continuing care in the light of the case of R v North and East Devon Health Authority ex parte Pamela Coughlan.

Jacqui Smith: Revised guidance was issued in light of the case of R v North and East Devon Health Authority ex parte Pamela Coughlan in June 2001.

Contraception

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many girls aged (a) under 16, (b) under 18 and (c) under 20 have been given the morning-after pill under Patient Group Directives in each year in which Patient Group Directives have been in force.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is not collected centrally. The use of patient group directions for health professionals to supply emergency contraception is a local decision taken by the relevant primary care trust.
	National data on the occasions on which emergency contraception is provided is derived from the KT31 form annual returns from national health service contraceptive services in England. This data does not identify whether the provision is through a patient group direction.

Digital Hearing Aids

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many digital hearing aids have been issued by the NHS in the London Borough of Havering in the last 12 months;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on the availability of digital hearing aids in the London Borough of Havering;
	(3)  what proportion of the funding for digital hearing aids will be available to hospitals in the London Borough of Havering.

John Hutton: Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals National Health Service Trust will start to fit digital hearing aids routinely from the end of March. Audiology staff are currently being trained and new equipment is being installed.
	We have recently announced that 94 million is being made available, over the next two years, to support the introduction of a modernised hearing aid service, including the provision of digital hearing aids, across the whole of England.
	Primary care trusts are being asked to fund 25 per cent. of the additional revenue costs of a modernised service.

Drug Treatment

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what clinical trials there have been on heroin treatment using (a) methadone, (b) buprenorphine, (c) naltraxone, (d) psychotherapy and (e) residential rehabilitation.

Hazel Blears: Comprehensive reviews of the effectiveness of methadone have been provided by several authors (Hall et al., 1998, Farrell et al., 1994, Bertschy 1995, Marsch, 1998). Most of those studies demonstrating the effectiveness of methadone are of on-going maintenance treatment but the evidence generally becomes weaker as the duration of treatment shortens, with little systematic evidence to support short-term detoxification. Specific studies include Fontain  Ansseau, 1995, Glass, 1993 and Gossop, M. et al., 2001. High quality medical and psychosocial services, a clear orientation towards social rehabilitation, treatment longevity and slow detoxification of well-stabilised patients have all been identified as giving the best outcomes (Cacciola et al 1998, Bertschy 1995). Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) show a relationship between higher doses (50 mg) and reduced illicit drug use with better treatment retention rates (Ward et al 1992, Ling et al 1996, Fontaine  Ansseau 1995 and D'Aunno  Vaughan 1992).
	Buprenorphine has more recently been established as a potential effective alternative substitution treatment for some patients by a number of studies such as those concentrating on effective doses including Johnson et al., 1995, Ling et al., 1998 and Strain et al., 1994. Specific differences from methadone have been highlighted in other studies including Walsh et al., 1994, Reynaud et al., 1998, Bickel  Amass, 1995, Reisinger, 1997 and Barnett P. G. et al., 2001) and trials in Europe have been reviewed by Chapleo et al., 1997. Also see Uehlinger, C. et al. 1998 and Fischer, G. et al. 1999 for published studies.
	The Cochrane review of buprenorphine maintenance for opioid dependence in August 2002 concluded 'Buprenorphine is an effective intervention for use in the maintenance treatment of heroin dependence, but it is not more effective than methadone at adequate dosages.'
	The effectiveness of naltrexone for relapse prevention has been demonstrated in controlled studies by Shufman et al., 1994 and Gerra et al., 1995. Probation-linked supervised naltrexone has been used as an alternative to custody in opiate-misusing offenders and studied by Brahen  Brewer, 1993. A recent systematic review of the efficacy of naltrexone maintenance treatment in opioid dependence by Kirt Mayer et al. 2002 noted limit support for naltrexone in its findings and this treatment is generally seen as appropriate for a minority of patients.
	The Cochrane review of naltrexone maintenance for opioid dependence in January 2002 concluded 'The available trials do not allow a final evaluation of naltrexone maintenance treatment yet. A trend in favour of treatment with naltrexone was observed for certain target groups (particularly people who are highly motivated), as has been previously described in the literature.'
	There is a very limited experimental research base comparing specific psychotherapies. McLellan et al., 1994 reviewed the evidence and concluded that 'successful outcomes are related to marked and consistent differences between counsellors,' and 'a study of whether the addition of counselling improved the efficacy of methadone maintenance programmes found that the addition of basic counselling on a weekly basis resulted in major and significant improvements'.
	International literature (Gerstein D. R. et al., 1990, Kooyman M., 1993 and Hubbard, R., 1994) demonstrates improvements from residential rehabilitation with programmes offering additional services having improved outcomes. The National Treatment Outcome Research Study (Gossop et al. 2001) has confirmed benefits in the UK for those attending residential rehabilitation and found that time in residential treatment is predictive of superior outcomes.
	Useful general references containing more detailed references as above:
	Community treatment of drug misuse: more than methadone. Nicholas Seivewright, Cambridge University Press 2000.
	The task force to review services for drug misusersreport of an independent review of drug treatment services in England (DH 1997).
	Methadone substitution therapypolicies and practices. Monograph series number one. Ghodse, A. M. et al. 1998. European Collaborating Centre in Addiction Studies (ECCAS).

Drug Users

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many problematic drug users were in treatment in each of the last five years.

Hazel Blears: Information is not available in the form requested.
	Following the closure of the Home Office Addicts Index in 1997, The regional drug misuse databases (RDMDs) were the main source of information on people presenting to drug treatment services with a drug problem up to 31 March 2001. Information on the numbers of users reported as presenting to drug treatment services for treatment in England is shown in the table.
	A one-off exercise was carried out to estimate the number of drug users in England in contact with drug treatment agencies in 200001. Around 118,500 individuals were reported to be in contact with drug treatment agencies in England in 200001.
	In April 2001 the national drug treatment monitoring system (NDTMS) was introduced. The figures from the NDTMS are not directly comparable with information collected previously for the RDMDs. However, provisional estimates are that the number of problem drug misusers who presented for treatment to drug treatment agencies and general practitioners in England in 200102 increased by around 8 per cent., over the previous year.
	
		Number of users reported as presenting for treatment for drug misuse in England during the six months periods ending 30 September 1996 to 31 March 2001
		
			 Six month period ending Number presenting for treatment 
		
		
			  
			  
			 September 1996 24,879 
			 March 1997 25,925 
			 September 1997 21,996 
			 March 1998 23,916 
			 September 1998 28,599 
			 March 1999 28,499 
			 September 1999 30,545 
			 March 2000 31,815 
			 September 2000 33,093 
			 March 2001 33,234 
		
	
	Note:Reporting to the RDMDs was voluntary; changes in the numbers may, at least in part, be due to changes in reporting practice.Source:
	The Department of Health series of Statistical Bulletins Statistics from the Regional Drug Misuse Databases. Bulletins for the six months ending March 1998 onwards are available at http://www.doh.qov.uk/public/work public health.htm
	The Department of Health Statistical Press Notice Provisional Statistics From The National Drug Treatment Monitoring System In England, 2QgVg2//http://www.doh.qov.uk/public/spndruqsQ212.htm

Drug-eluting Stents

Alice Mahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  which NHS hospitals provide drug eluting stents to private patients but not to NHS patients;
	(2)  which NHS hospitals which provide drug eluting stents to private patients also provide NHS patients with drug eluting stents.

Hazel Blears: No information is held centrally regarding the provision of drug eluting stents for national health service patients or for private patients who are treated in private units based in NHS hospitals. Such information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Drugs

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department will have stocks of (a) The Score: Facts about drugs, (b) Drugs-The Facts A6 booklet, (c) A parent's guide to drugs and (d) drugs helpline cards; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 28 February 2003
	It has been decided that the national drugs helpline cards will not be reprinted. This decision has been made in the light of upcoming new work on the development of a new national drugs campaign.
	The following leaflets will be reprinted to cover the time period until the new campaign launches and the resources to support the campaign are available. It is expected that delivery into the warehouse for these leaflets will be:
	The Score: Facts about drugs17 March
	Drugs: The facts17 March
	A parent's guide to drugs and alcohol17 March
	While these items have been out of stock we have continued to collect orders from customers and will despatch these items as soon as new stock is received.

Drugs

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how long the Department has been out of stock of (a) The Score: Facts about drugs, (b) Drugs the facts A6 booklet, (c) A parent's guide to drugs and (d) Drugs helpline cards: and what the reasons are in each case.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 28 February 2003
	The Score: Facts about drugs, Drugs, the facts A6 booklet and A parent's guide to drugs and alcohol all went out of stock in December 2002.
	The National Drugs Helpline credit card went out of stock in January 2003.
	We experienced higher than usual demand over the December and Christmas period for all drugs resources.
	The Department of Health, in partnership with the Home Office and supported by the Department for Education and Skills, is currently developing a new national drugs campaign, which we anticipate will launch in late spring 2003.
	The campaign will be supported by new material promoting a helpline service and providing information for young people and parents on the risks and dangers associated with drug use.

Elder Abuse

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received from the Community and District Nursing Association on elder abuse.

Jacqui Smith: On 12 February, I held a meeting with representatives of the Community and District Nursing Association, who raised the findings of their membership survey relating to elder abuse.

Epilepsy

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) medical consultant and (b) nursing specialist posts specifically concerned with the treatment of epilepsy there are in the United Kingdom.

John Hutton: Information on the number of medical consultant and nursing specialist posts specifically concerned with the treatment of epilepsy is not collected centrally.
	Consultants in neurology and neurosurgery treat patients with epilepsy. Latest figures show that, between September 1997 and March 2002, consultant numbers in neurology increased by 94, or 34 per cent., to 372. During the same period, consultant numbers in neurosurgery increased by 27, or 21 per cent., to 154.

General Practitioners

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average patient roll is for each general practitioner in the Camden and Islington area; what he expects the number to be in 200304; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: The information requested is shown in the table. Figures from September 2001 are still the latest available.
	
		Unrestricted principals and equivalents (UPEs)(24)and average list size as at 30 September 2001 -- Number (headcount)
		
			  UPEs Average list size 
		
		
			 England total 27,843 1,841 
			 Of which:   
			 London RO 3,962 1,985 
			 Of which:   
			 Camden and Islington HA 225 2,039 
		
	
	(24) UPEs include CMS Unrestricted Principals, PMS Contracted GPs and PMS Salaried GPs.
	Source:
	General and Personal Medical Services Statistics

Health Protection Agency

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to agree the National Assembly of Wales funding for the Health Protection Agency.

Hazel Blears: Departmental officials came to an agreement some months ago on the general principle of the National Assembly for Wales' contribution to the funding of the Health Protection Agency; that is that funding streams continue as now for those functions which the HPA will provide in Wales. As is usual at this point in the year, precise sums are still to be confirmed. We expect to do so in the near future.

Health Service Finance

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent providing (a) occupational and physiotherapy, (b) home help and (c) district nursing services in England in each of the last five years.

Jacqui Smith: Complete information on expenditure on occupational and physiotherapy and on district nursing services is not collected centrally.
	Local authority personal social services expenditure for England on home care, inclusive of management and support costs, are shown in the table.
	
		
			 Year 000 
		
		
			 199798 1,359,761 
			 199899 1,438,617 
			 19992000 1,559,316 
			 200001 1,625,869 
			 200102 1,712,064

Health Services (Children)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which module within the National Services Framework for children will include targets for improving the treatment of enuresis and paediatric continence.

Jacqui Smith: Common childhood conditions, including enuresis and paediatric continence, will be considered primarily by the healthy child and young people module of the national service framework for children, young people and maternity services.

Health Services (Children)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to introduce training for (a) commissioners and (b) managers on managing comprehensive Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in accordance with the national service framework for children.

Jacqui Smith: A conference for joint commissioners/managers of child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) in the light of the pending publication of the emerging findings from the CAMHS module of the Children's national service framework was held on 7 January in Doncaster. Further conferences are planned for 4 April in Newbury and 20 May in London.

Health Services (Children)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to monitor the child and adolescent mental health targets set out in his Department's publication Improvement, expansion and reform: the next three years.

Jacqui Smith: The objectives for improving and expanding child and adolescent mental services (CAMHS), set out in the priorities and planning framework 200306, Improvement, Expansion and Reform, will be incorporated into the local delivery plans currently being prepared by primary care trusts. Local monitoring of these plans will be undertaken by strategic health authorities.
	At a national level, progress towards the CAMHS objectives will be monitored mainly via the annual CAMHS mapping exercise, which will provide detailed information on the level of services. The first mapping survey has just been completed. This will be used as a baseline against which future service improvements will be measured.

Heart Choice Scheme

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many patients have (a) been eligible and (b) applied for treatment elsewhere under the Heart Choice Scheme;
	(2)  how many patients have received treatment (a) abroad and (b) in the independent sector as part of the Heart Choice Scheme;
	(3)  how many patients have been treated in a hospital that is not their home centre under the Heart Choice Scheme;
	(4)  how many patients waiting more than six months for heart surgery had a choice of alternative hospital in (a) 1998, (b) 1999, (c) 2000, (d) 2001, (e) 2002 and (f) 2003;
	(5)  how many choices of alternative hospital patients waiting more than six months for heart surgery have had since 1997, and what has been the average wait between referral and treatment in the alternative hospital.

Hazel Blears: Early unvalidated data suggest that between 1 July 2002 and 31 January 2003, 3,822 patients were eligible for choice and of these 1,423 patients chose to be treated in a different hospital. Further information will be placed in the public domain when data returns have been validated and analysed.

Hepatitis C

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to implement the hepatitis C strategy for England, published in consultation form in August 2002.

Hazel Blears: The Chief Medical Officer's strategy to combat infectious diseases, Getting Ahead of the Curve, has called for intensified action in a number of areas including blood-borne and sexually transmitted viruses. Implementation plans for the hepatitis C strategy will be set out as part of this action plan, which will be published in the next few months.
	Work has already begun on improving surveillance of hepatitis C and raising awareness amongst health care professionals.
	In March 2002, the Department held four regional conferences for primary care staff, which were very well attended. It will be holding a further four conferences in March 2003. Following the conferences in March 2002, the Department published a briefing pack for health professionals, entitled Hepatitis C: Essential Information for Professionals, which was distributed to all general practitioners and practice nurses in England.

Homoeopathic Treatments

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what plans his Department has to encourage the use of homoeopathic treatments, where their effectiveness has been proven;
	(2)  what studies he has considered that evaluate the worth of homoeopathic treatments for GP practices.

Hazel Blears: Holding answer 3 March 2003
	Our June 2000 complementary medicine information pack for primary care groups commented that there was some evidence to suggest that homeopathy might help certain patients. It suggested in particular that the best evidence of its effectiveness was in relation to conditions with an allergic element, for example asthma, rhinitis and hay fever.
	However, the centre for reviews and dissemination at the University of York has concluded in its more recent Effective Healthcare bulletin on homeopathy (2002, volume 7, number 3) that current evidence of the effectiveness of homeopathy is not conclusive enough to warrant a significant change in National Health Service provision of homeopathy.

Hospital Mergers

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 11 February 2003, Official Report, column 666W, on hospital mergers, if he will (a) name and (b) publish the study covering trusts in London.

John Hutton: holding answer 27 February 2003
	The article referred to in my response of 11 February 2003 is Process and impact of mergers of NHS trusts: multicentre case study and management cost analysis (Fulop N, Protopsaltis G., Hutchings A., King A., Alien P., Normand C., Walters R.).
	This study was published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) on 3 August 2002reference BMJ 2002;325:2469. It is also available on the BMJ's website at www.bmi.com/all/shtml and in the Library.

Long-term Care

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of people who may have been obliged to sell their homes to pay for care, following the report by the Health Service Ombudsman on NHS funding for long term care;
	(2)  how families of deceased relatives will be informed that they may be entitled to appeal against the selling of the family home to pay for NHS care, following the report by the Health Service Ombudsman on NHS funding for long term-care; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what plans he has to compensate people obliged to sell their homes to pay for care for (a) emotional distress and (b) loss of value of the home; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what steps his Department is taking to ensure cases of the sale of homes to pay for care since 1996 will be investigated, following the report by the Health Service Ombudsman on NHS funding for long term care; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  what the timescales are for the assessment of the unlawful selling of homes to pay for care for (a) strategic health authorities, (b) primary care trusts and (c) social services departments, following the report by the Health Service Ombudsman on NHS funding for long term care; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, has welcomed the Ombudsman's report on national health service funding for long-term care. As part of the initial response, the Department has asked strategic health authorities to estimate by 28 March the number of people who may have been wrongly assessed under criteria not consistent with the Coughlan judgment.

Long-term Care

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the report by the Health Service Ombudsman on NHS funding for long term care; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the compatibility with R v North and East Devon Health Authority ex parte Pamela Coughlan of the guidance (a) HSC 2001/015 and (b) HSC 1999/180, following the report by the Health Service Ombudsman on NHS funding for long-term care; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  when he will publish new guidance following the report by the Health Service Ombudsman on NHS funding for long-term care.

Jacqui Smith: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, welcomes the Ombudsman's report on national health service funding for long term care. The Department has already asked strategic health authorities to review criteria in use since 1996 and estimate the number of people who may have been wrongly assessed under criteria not consistent with the Coughlan judgment by 28 March.
	The Department is satisfied that the guidance issued in 1999 and 2001 was compatible with the Coughlan judgment.
	The Department will consider the recommendation to review national guidance on continuing care carefully and respond in due course.

Mental Health

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether consideration of the responses to the Draft Mental Health Bill consultation has been completed; and when a re-drafted bill will be presented to the House;
	(2)  how many responses to the Draft Mental Health Bill there were from community health councils.

Jacqui Smith: We received almost 2,000 responses to the consultation of which 88 were from Community Health Councils. Work on the Mental Health Bill continues and a Bill will be introduced as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

MMR Immunisation

Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the immunisation rates were for MMR in each of the last five years.

Hazel Blears: Information about immunisation rates for MMR for children by their second birthday and by their fifth birthday for the last five years is shown in the table.
	
		Percentage of children immunised against MMR
		
			   By their 5th birthday(25) 
			  By their 2nd birthday First dose First and second dose 
		
		
			 199798 90.8   
			 199899 88.3   
			 19992000 87.6 93.0 76.0 
			 200001 87.4 91.9 74.8 
			 200102 84.1 90.8 74.0 
		
	
	(25) Information about uptake at age 5 was collected for the first time in 19992000Source:
	Department of Health, Statistics Division SD3G, COVER data

MMR Immunisation (Kent)

Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the immunisation rates were for MMR in each of the last five years for Tunbridge Wells and West Kent.

Hazel Blears: Statistics on immunisation rates are collected by health authority area. The table shows the immunisation rates for measles, mumps and rubella for children by their second birthday and by their fifth birthday within the West Kent health authority area for the five years to 200102, the last date for which figures are available.
	
		Percentage of children immunised against MMR in West Kent health authority
		
			   By their 5th birthday(26) 
			  By their 2nd birthday First dose First and second dose 
		
		
			 199798 93   
			 199899 91   
			 19992000 90 95 80 
			 200001 91 94 78 
			 200102 93 93 75 
		
	
	(26) Information about uptake at age 5 was collected for the first time in 19992000Source:
	Department of Health, Statistics Division SD3G, COVER data

Motor Neurone Disease

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what targets are being set to reduce diagnosis time for people suffering from motor neurone disease; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assistance is available from the NHS for people suffering from motor neurone disease; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: A wide range of services which are tailored to suit individual needs are required to support people with motor neurone disease (MND). National health service services provided include physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy and augmentative communication, mobility aids and district nursing support. In the later stages of the disease, the following interventions may also be required: enteral feeding (for severe dysphagia), domiciliary or hospice care and ventilatory support, including mechanical ventilation and tracheostomy.
	The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) has reviewed the evidence of the clinical and cost effectiveness of Riluzole for MND. NICE has advised that Riluzole (marketed as Rilutek) should be made available in the NHS as one component of the management of those people with the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis form of MND.
	There is no specific test for MND and it may be difficult to diagnose with certainty in the early stages of the disease, because the patterns of symptoms varies between individuals and may be similar to those seen in other conditions. However, a great deal of research work is being carried out, and encouraging advances are being made in understanding both the disease process and the way motor neurones function.
	We are developing a national service framework (NSF) for long term conditions, which will have a particular focus on neurological conditions. It is scheduled for publication in 2004 and implementation from 2005. The national service framework will help to drive up standards and improve the quality of and access to care for people with neurological conditions like MND.

Motor Neurone Disease

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to place motor neurone disease in the national service framework; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: The national service framework (NSF) for long-term conditions will focus on neurological conditions, including motor neurone disease and brain and spinal injuries. It will also tackle some of the common issues, which are relevant to a wider range of people with long-term conditions generally and help to drive up the quality of treatment and care.
	We have appointed an external reference group and working groups to take forward detailed development of the NSF. One of the groups is looking at areas where standards might be set along the patient pathway for people with progressive conditions, including motor neurone disease. People with clinical expertise and experience in dealing with motor neurone disease and from the Motor Neurone Disease Association are represented on this group. They will ensure that the needs of people with motor neurone disease are considered during development of the NSF.

National Service Framework for Older People

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 7 February 2003, Official Report, column 474W, on the National Service Framework, what methods are being used to monitor the progress of implementation of the NSF milestones for older people.

Jacqui Smith: The data collection lines underpinning the monitoring of targets in Improvement, Expansion and Reform and the frequency of data collections are currently in the process of being determined. Progress on the other national service framework milestones will be for strategic health authorities to monitor locally.

Nurses and Nursing Agencies

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam (Mr. Burstow) of 28 January 2003, Official Report, column 822W, on nurses' recruitment, how many agencies have been removed from the list of agencies who are compliant with the code of practice.

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answers of 4 February 2003, Official Report, column 225W, on nurses, and nursing agencies, what the reasons are for the differing indications of the level of compliance with the code of practice by nursing agencies

John Hutton: No evidence of non-compliance with the code has been brought to the attention of the Department.
	The NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (PASA) is working with the NHS through a procurement programme for the provision of temporary staffing by commercial agencies across the national health service in England. As the framework agreements are awarded, the agencies will be contractually bound to comply with detailed quality standards, including compliance with the code of practice. PASA will ensure that all successful agencies are complying with their contractual obligations. A full range of national audits into compliance will begin in summer 2003.

Older People (Falls Prevention)

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the progress of local health authorities against the National Service Framework for Older People's 2003 milestone on falls prevention.

Jacqui Smith: The Department will be monitoring formally the overall falls milestone of integrated health and social care falls services by April 2005 as this is included as one of the key targets in Improvement, Expansion and Reform, the priorities and planning framework for 200306.
	Progress on the other falls milestones will be for strategic health authorities to monitor locally, although these are 'stepping stones' for reaching the overarching milestone of a fully integrated falls service.

Overseas Nurse Advice Line

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 5 February 2003, Official Report, column 317W, on the overseas nurse advice line, if he will break down the calls received by the helpline by (a) type of query and (b) length of call; what records are kept on callers into the helpline; and if this information is passed on to any other bodies.

John Hutton: The international nurses' advice line receives queries from nurses from abroad who are currently in the United Kingdom. The calls primarily concern problems the nurses are experiencing either with their current employer or the agency they work for.
	The average length of a call is three minutes and 20 seconds.
	The following information is kept on file: the caller's name, postal address, contact phone number and email address; whether the caller was a member of the Royal College of Nursing or Unison; the caller's query or problem; action to be taken by the Department; the outcome of the call; and where the caller found out about the advice line.
	Information is passed on to the Department at the caller's request.

Overseas Nurse Advice Line

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 5 February 2003, Official Report, column 317W, on the international nurses advice line, if he will set out its objectives.

John Hutton: The objective of the international nurses' advice line is to provide advice and assistance to internationally recruited nurses.

Overseas Nurses

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who the members are of the group set up to identify problems faced by overseas nurses; what budget the group has; what findings it has so far presented; what findings have been published; what timetable the group will work to ; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: holding answer 3 March 2003
	The Department representatives the Royal College of Nursing, UNISON, Nursing and Midwifery Council, Work Permits (UK), Independent Healthcare Association, Registered Nursing Home Association, Department of Trade and Industry, Philippines Embassy and Philippines Nursing UK to join an informal working group to identify problems faced by overseas nurses and help establish the international nurses advice line.
	The working group does not have a separate budget and a meeting will be held in May to review progress.
	An adaptation guide on clinical provision is being produced in collaboration with the Independent Healthcare Association.

Patient Choice

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many choices of alternative hospital patients in London waiting more than six months for elective surgery will have.

John Hutton: Patients waiting more than six months for elective surgery in the procedures covered by choice will normally be offered the choice of two alternative hospitals. Those waiting for primary hip or primary knee operations may, in addition, be offered overseas treatment.
	The London patient choice project started to offer choice for cataract patients who have already waited more than six months for treatment, in October 2002, and from March 2003 will be offering a similar choice in ear, nose and throat, general surgery and orthopaedics. The scheme rolls out to other surgical specialties such as gynaecology, urology and plastic surgery from summer 2003.

Patient Choice

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many choices of alternative hospital patients in Greater Manchester waiting six months for orthopaedic treatment, ENT treatment or general surgery will have.

John Hutton: The aim is to provide up to four alternative treatment locations in Greater Manchester in 200304, which are:
	The Greater Manchester Surgical Centre at Trafford General Hospital;
	Local private sector capacity;
	Other available national health service capacity in the Greater Manchester conurbation.
	These options are in addition to choosing to remain with their local provider, which is an equally valid choice to make.

Primary Care Trusts

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the income per capita of the population is for primary care trusts in (a) Wiltshire, (b) Hampshire and (c) Berkshire.

Hazel Blears: The funding per weighted head of population of primary care trusts (PCTs) is shown in the table, is calculated using the cash funding made by the Department of Health, and health authorities to those PCTs. PCTs also receive small quantities of miscellaneous income for fees and charges and this has not been included in the table.
	From April 2003, PCTs will be funded directly by the Department of Health.
	
		
			 Health authority area Funding per head () 
		
		
			 Wiltshire  
			 South Wiltshire 977.01 
			 West Wiltshire 837.39 
			   
			 Hampshire  
			 East Hampshire 754.66 
			 Mid Hampshire 859.55 
			 New Forest 766.20 
			 North Hampshire 860.08 
			 Portsmouth City 632.39 
			 Southampton 583.85 
			 Isle of Wight 704.03 
			   
			 Berkshire  
			 Newbury and Community 694.65 
			 Reading 815.50 
			 Slough 834.41 
			 Wokingham 756.00 
		
	
	Note:
	Populations derived from weighted capitation formula used for 200304 to200506 PCT revenue allocations, ie GP lists reconciled to mid 2001 Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates and weighted for age, need and cost.
	Source:
	Primary Care Trusts audited summarisation schedules 200102.

Public Health Laboratories

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the additional resources to be provided when NHS trusts receive laboratories from the public health laboratory service will match the additional costs, including those services provided previously through the PHLS network and central facilities.

Hazel Blears: Resources are being transferred from the Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) to national health service trusts commensurate with the additional costs for providing the services they will be responsible for with effect from 1 April. This includes the direct costs of the laboratories and an appropriate apportionment of PHLS' centrally financed overhead.

Queen Alexandra Hospital

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the approved affordability is of the private finance initiative at Queen Alexandra Hospital, Cosham;
	(2)  what the expected annual cost is of the private finance initiative at Queen Alexandra Hospital, Cosham.

Hazel Blears: I am advised that the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Strategic Health Authority and stakeholder primary care trusts reviewed the affordability in 2002.
	The estimated capital cost of the scheme was confirmed as 173 million. The revenue consequences of the development of the Queen Alexandra Hospital site amounted to 44 million per annum.
	Approval to the original proposed scheme was re-confirmed.

Radiation

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the recent research published by the European Commission on Radiation Risk and the implications for human health.

Hazel Blears: The European Committee on Radiation Risk (ECRR) maintains that the scientific evidence for the harmful effects of ionising radiation accumulated by the international scientific community over several decades is flawed and risks are being under-estimated significantly. This hypothesis, originally proposed by Dr. Chris Busby, founder of the special interest group Green Audit, is currently being considered in detail by the Committee Examining Radiation Risks from Internal Emitters (CERRIE). This Committee was set up by the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE) and their conclusions will be published in due course. Dr. Busby is a member of CERRIE.
	ECRR is not a formal scientific advisory committee to the European Commission or to the European Parliament. Its report 1 is published by the Green Audit. Dr. Busby is the secretary of ECRR.
	1 Green Audit. 2003 Recommendations of the European Committee on Radiation Risk. Editor Chris Busby with Rosalie Bertell, Inge Schmitz-Feuerhake, Molly Scott Cato and Alexei Yablokov http://www.euradcom.org/2003/ecrr2003.htm_press

Radiation

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the health implications arising from the operation of the nuclear industry.

Hazel Blears: The independent Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE) was set up in 1985 to advise Government on such matters. COMARE has carried out a series of investigations into alleged increases of cancer around several nuclear installations in Great Britain and has published seven reports and a variety of statements.
	It is currently awaiting the results of a national study of childhood cancer in Great Britain, including all cases from the 1960s onwards. This study will include data on over 33,000 cases of childhood cancer and will address the question of whether there is a real association between British nuclear installations and the incidence of those cancer cases. This will be the subject of a major COMARE report, which it hopes to complete this year. The Department of Health and the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs has also asked COMARE to review the latest data on the risks from internal radiation emitters and advise on any further research that may be required. To help them to do this they have set up the Committee Examining Radiation Risks from Internal Emitters (CERRIE). This group is also hoping to report in 2003. Furthermore, Government have asked the small area statistics unit to draw up a protocol for a study of the incidence of adult cancers in the areas around British nuclear installations.
	Since 1986, the Department of Health and its predecessor, the Department of Health and Social Security, has administered the Radiological Protection Research Programme. The objective of this programme is to identify the research which is needed to inform policy development in the area of low level radiation exposure (both ionising and non-ionising), its effects, and the need to quantify the risk to public health and to implement appropriate preventative measures. The programme has funded many individual research projects designed to examine these aspects of radiation exposure.

Smoking

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department plans to give to its employees on actions to take on No Smoking Day.

Hazel Blears: The Department sees No Smoking Day as an important opportunity to actively encourage those employees who smoke to quit. In the run-up to 12 March, the staff magazine Link is carrying an article on smoking which includes information about support available to smokers. The article publicises the national health service smoking helpline (0800 169 0169) and the core care welfare service (0800 652 3304) which are both available to employees who want to give up smoking. In addition, No Smoking Day posters and displays will be placed in the Department.
	The Department already gives employees who wish to attend cessation groups reasonable time off to do so and reimburses the prescription cost of one week's supply of nicotine replacement therapy. In addition, the Department is piloting an on-site smoking cessation group for London-based staff. This has been scheduled to follow No Smoking Day, in the hope that it will attract employees who have set a quit date. The group will run from every Thursday from 20 March from 4.005.00 pm for seven weeks in the same format as NHS groups. Subject to the success of this pilot, this may be extended to other areas of the Department.

Social Care Grants

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the grants funded by his Department for social care for which individuals may apply; how much funding was made in the last financial year; how many awards were made; and what their administrative costs were.

Jacqui Smith: There are no grants funded by the Department for social care for which individuals may apply.

Tuberculosis

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when (a) he, (b) the head of the tuberculosis unit of the Public Health Laboratory Service and (c) senior officials from his Department last met NHS trust executives of areas with recorded rates of tuberculosis higher than the national average.

Hazel Blears: Departmental officials met with national key stakeholders, including the Public Health Laboratory Service, on 30 September in London and 25 October in Leeds to review the strategic national plan to deal with tuberculosis in all areas.

Tuberculosis

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements are made to inoculate NHS staff against TB.

Hazel Blears: Guidance entitled Recommendations for the Prevention and Control of Tuberculosis at Local Level June 1996 documents the occupational health policy for national health service staff and tuberculosis:
	'pre-employmentAll staff in regular contact with patients or handling specimens, including laboratory workers, agency staff and locums, should be screened and offered protection with BCG vaccine according to BTS guidelines'.

Waiting Times (Hull and East Riding)

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list (a) the number of patients and (b) the length of waiting time for smear test results in Hull and the East Riding in the past 12 months.

Jacqui Smith: Within the East Riding Health Authority in 200102, 84.9 per cent. of women in the target age group (2564) have has an adequate cervical smear test in the last five years, against 81.6 per cent. for the whole of England.
	Guidance from the cervical screening programme states that women should have to wait no longer than six weeks for the written results of their cervical smear tests. Figures for the length of waiting times are available on a regional basis. Across the Northern and Yorkshire region in 200102, 48 per cent. of women received their results within six weeks, of which 78 per cent. received their results within 10 weeks.
	Source:
	Department of Health